Power Grab/Make it too expensive to hold him accountable
The Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into 5 TV networks for pausing their coverage of Trump.
— DOJ opens an antitrust probe of the 5 TV networks that paused White House pool coverage.
ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC stopped pooled TV coverage of the president on September 21, after the White House barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico. On October 10 the department said the pause might be an illegal group boycott.
What happened
On September 21, 2026, the White House television pool stopped covering Trump. The pool is a rotation of five networks, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC, that shares video of the president with every outlet. It stopped shortly after the White House barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from its grounds. A judge later ordered the three outlets’ access restored, and pool coverage resumed.
On October 10, the Justice Department said its Antitrust Division was investigating the five networks. “Members of the television press pool have boycotted covering White House events,” spokesperson Emily Covington said. “Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws.”
Who benefited
The White House, which can now hold an antitrust investigation over the five networks that cover it every day. The networks went back to pool coverage before the investigation was announced; the investigation stays open after it.
Who wanted something
Trump said when he barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico that those outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” about him. The Sherman Act, an 1890s law against agreements that restrain trade, has rarely been applied to news organizations.
Who lost out
The five networks, now under federal antitrust investigation for how they covered the president. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the government “should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access.”
Why it matters
The networks paused coverage to protest a ban on three outlets, and the government answered with a law written for business deals that restrain trade. A newsroom’s decision about what to cover is now under federal antitrust investigation.
Sources DeadlineCNBCAssociated Press (via The Washington Sun)
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