Washington Post calls the media exclusions intimidation intended to silence coverage
The Washington PostNews organization, through spokesperson Olivia Petersen
The Washington Post described the targeting of news outlets as intimidation intended to silence coverage and said press freedom serves the public rather than politicians.
“the president’s targeting of media outlets is a clear form of intimidation to silence coverage. Freedom of the press serves the American people, not politicians.”
Official statement
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
Official statement
About this source
The Post's own report publishes the organization's statement through spokesperson Olivia Petersen after reporters were denied White House access.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Post published its statement after CNN, MS NOW and Politico said their reporters were denied access and their credentials were disabled or confiscated.
After the quotation
The statement presents press freedom as serving the public and does not condition or narrow its opposition.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The Post's institutional statement directly condemns the exclusions as intimidation and rejects political control over press access.
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- Donald Trump
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The Dispute Index. "Washington Post calls the media exclusions intimidation intended to silence coverage". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1309-the-washington-post-described-the-targeting-of-news