Jimmy Panetta calls Trump's ban on news organizations an attack on freedom of the press
Jimmy PanettaU.S. Representative for California's 19th congressional district, on his official Bluesky account
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a California Democrat, said President Trump's decision to ban major news organizations from the White House because he objects to their coverage is an attack on freedom of the press and on the public's right to independent reporting. He said he would continue to defend the First Amendment and a free press.
“The President’s decision to ban major news organizations from the White House because he objects to their coverage is an attack on freedom of the press and the public’s right to independent reporting.”
Original post
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
Rep. Panetta's own post on his official Bluesky account (usrepjimmypanetta.bsky.social). The post text was read through Bluesky's public API and matches the excerpt.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Panetta posted on Wednesday, September 23, the day Judge Timothy Kelly heard arguments on the outlets' request for a temporary restraining order.
After the quotation
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 49 media outlets filed an amicus brief calling the ban unconstitutional the same day.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Panetta calls the decision an attack on freedom of the press and the public's right to independent reporting. That is direct criticism of the exclusion, so we labeled it Condemned.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump, CNN, MS NOW, Politico
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The Dispute Index. "Jimmy Panetta calls Trump's ban on news organizations an attack on freedom of the press". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2808-rep-jimmy-panetta-a-california-democrat-said-president