MS NOW says it "intends to take any and all steps necessary" to defend its First Amendment rights
MS NOWNews network, in a statement posted by MS NOW Public Relations and reported in its own story
In a statement issued Saturday, September 19, after two of its journalists were denied entry to the White House, MS NOW said it intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend its First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in a democracy.
“MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”
Original post
Reporting
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
Post from MS NOW's communications account introducing the statement, which is attached as an image with no alt text; the wording used here is taken from MS NOW's own story. Created 12:10:00 UTC (8:10 AM EDT) on September 19, 2026.
Reporting
About this source
MS NOW's own news story, published at 11:15 AM EDT and last modified at 1:06 PM EDT Saturday (edits between 11:37 AM and 1:06 PM EDT changed only sidebar items). The page was rewritten during the day: the page title still reads 'MS NOW journalists denied entry to White House on day after Trump bans them in First Amendment test' while the current headline names all three outlets. MS NOW is a party; the story carries its spokesperson statement. The story calls the second MS NOW staff member a cameraman, where CNN and AP call the person a photographer.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)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
MS NOW had no immediate comment on Friday. On Saturday morning, White House correspondent Akayla Gardner told MS NOW that when she scanned her press badge at the White House gate it beeped and she was asked to hand it over.
After the quotation
The statement continued, "We stand firmly behind our anchors, our reporters, and our newsroom." Gardner said MS NOW's journalists had been able to work on the White House grounds on Friday.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
MS NOW contests the exclusion, committing to any and all steps to defend its rights after its journalists were turned away at the gate. The closest competing label is “Explicitly stayed out”, because MS NOW had no immediate comment on Friday. That loses because on Saturday it issued this statement, which takes a position against the exclusion.
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- MS NOW says it "intends to take any and all steps necessary" to defend its First Amendment rights
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Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "MS NOW says it "intends to take any and all steps necessary" to defend its First Amendment rights". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1144-in-a-statement-issued-saturday-september-19-after