US Justice Department examines networks’ suspension of Trump coverage

The US Justice Department is investigating whether ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News violated antitrust law by temporarily suspending their shared coverage of President Donald Trump. Reuters reported the inquiry, citing The New York Times.

The newspaper disclosed the investigation on October 10, citing six people familiar with the department’s actions. A Justice Department spokesperson told the newspaper that its Antitrust Division was examining possible violations of the Sherman Act. The department said coordinated boycotts by commercial competitors could breach the law.

The networks briefly halted pooled coverage after Trump barred CNN, Politico and MS Now from the White House. They subsequently resumed their shared coverage of presidential events.

The five-network television pool spreads the costs of filming the president. Its members rotate responsibility for organising coverage and distribute footage to news outlets across the country.

The department and the networks had not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment when the report was published. The inquiry concerns a possible violation and does not establish that the networks broke the law.