Fox News Joins White House Coverage Boycott

Fox News joined the other major networks in refusing White House television pool coverage after the administration barred CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the complex.

Bryan Boughton, Fox’s Washington bureau chief and current TV pool chair, emailed pool subscribers that “effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President.”

He wrote that the move followed “the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties” and that “there will be no replacement pool put in place.”

ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox rotate the primary camera when space is tight and share the feed. CNN had been slated for Monday. A Sunday-night White House guidance listed no TV pool at all.

President Trump said Friday he was banning the three outlets for “FAKE NEWS.” He singled out Politico’s large government subscription under the Biden administration.

The five networks issued a joint statement saying the public has “a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government.”

Pulling the pool camera means network-led video of routine presidential events stops. The White House can still stream its own feed on official channels.

The boycott landed as Trump headed into United Nations events and other public appearances that normally rely on shared pool video.