RSF says it is appalled by Trump's threat to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico and that press access is not a privilege
Reporters Without BordersInternational press-freedom organization, in a post on its official international X account (@RSF_inter)
In a post on its international X account on September 18, 2026, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it was appalled by Trump's threat to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over coverage he dislikes. RSF said press access is a right that lets the American people be independently informed, not a privilege for journalists, and that it is exploring legal avenues to respond.
“RSF is appalled by Trump’s threat to ban @CNN, @MSNOWNews and @Politico from the White House over coverage he dislikes. Press access is not a privilege for journalists.”
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
RSF's main international account, linked from rsf.org. The post continues with a sentence saying press access is a right that lets Americans be independently informed and a sentence saying RSF is exploring legal avenues to respond; those are not in the quotation. The post gives no detail on the legal avenues.
Reporting
About this source
CNN Business story first published 3:40 PM EDT on September 18, 2026 and last modified 10:12 PM EDT. CNN is one of the three outlets, so its account of its own staff is an outlet's account.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
On the afternoon of Friday, September 18, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social that, effective immediately, he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House because of their coverage, and that other outlets would follow. He defended the announcement when asked about it at an Oval Office event the same day.
After the quotation
CNN and Politico also issued statements about the announcement that day, and CNN reported that there was no indication the administration had taken steps to follow through as of Friday evening.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
RSF says it is appalled by Trump's threat to ban the three outlets over coverage he dislikes and that press access is a right rather than a privilege, which is an express rejection of the exclusion. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, because RSF calls the announcement a threat to ban rather than a completed ban. That loses because the word describes the announcement without softening RSF's evaluation, which is a clear substantive condemnation; its statement that it is exploring legal avenues describes a possible response and does not make that view conditional.
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- RSF says it is appalled by Trump's threat to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico and that press access is not a privilege
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The Dispute Index. "RSF says it is appalled by Trump's threat to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico and that press access is not a privilege". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1131-in-a-post-on-its-international-x-account