An attorney for three news organizations told a federal judge Thursday that the Trump administration must be prevented from barring their reporters from the White House, saying the ban is a classic example of “viewpoint discrimination” that is punishing people for what they say — and violating the media outlets' First Amendment rights.
The hearing was the latest development in the escalating drama between the Trump administration and the news media, which has raged in various arenas during his second term as president. At its core, though, are multiple free-speech questions. The dispute has produced sanctions and restrictions on White House and Pentagon reporter and led to several lawsuits that are progressing through the federal court system.
