Jeff Jarvis calls the ban “authoritarianism” and urges news organizations to “walk out in solidarity”
Jeff JarvisJournalism professor and media commentator, appearing as a panelist on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip
On CNN NewsNight the day the ban was announced, journalism professor Jeff Jarvis called it “authoritarianism, pure and simple” and “fascism,” and urged The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press and Reuters to walk out of White House press events in solidarity with CNN, MS NOW and Politico. He said the press corps would not be missing anything by leaving because the president’s statements can be watched on television.
“If he can't get his friends to buy the media, he will ban the media. It's the story we've seen again and again. It is authoritarianism, pure and simple. It is fascism. It's what we know. But what I think has to happen now is that your colleagues in the media have to stand up by you. … Washington Post and Associated Press and Reuters. Walk out. Walk out in solidarity, not just with CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Walk out in solidarity with the Constitution and a free press.”
Original video
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 video
About this source
A 15:17 clip of CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip's first block on September 18, 2026, posted to Jeff Jarvis's YouTube channel the next day. Jarvis appears as a panelist and answers Phillip's question whether the ban is meaningful this time.
Reporting
About this source
Editor & Publisher's survey of responses to the ban by press associations, press-freedom groups and news organizations, including statements by RTDNA, SPJ, IRE and the National Press Club and Jeff Jarvis's CNN appearance.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Host Abby Phillip had asked: “Jeff, we have seen this movie before with this president. Is it meaningful to you this time?” Jarvis began by thanking her for giving Trump “a whole menu of headlines he’ll hate even more.”
After the quotation
Jarvis continued: “If you leave the press room, you’re not missing anything. We can watch it all on TV” and “you can go out and you can cover the nation more and listen to the people.” Editor & Publisher reported that he named The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press and Reuters and argued journalists could keep monitoring the president while directing more reporting to people outside Washington.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On Trump’s decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Jarvis condemns the ban in the strongest terms, characterizes it as authoritarian, and calls on other news organizations to act by walking out. No competing label plausibly applies; the call to walk out is a remedy, not a separate position.
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The Dispute Index. "Jeff Jarvis calls the ban “authoritarianism” and urges news organizations to “walk out in solidarity”". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1328-on-cnn-newsnight-the-day-the-ban-was