Rival networks in the USA are standing by banned outlets. Would Australian TV stations do the same?
You can watch the video version of this article in the player below, which includes a look at Nine’s Upfront event with Steve Molk.
Things are escalating in the US after President Donald Trump banned three TV news outlets from the White House. Reporters from CNN, MSNOW and Politico have had their press credentials cancelled.
That has led to the extraordinary step of other networks – including FOX NEWS – showing their support by cancelling the pool camera that usually films the President at media events.
A pool camera is a shared resource, which means instead of having multiple networks film the same thing, one camera is assigned to film an event – like a media conference – and share the footage with all networks.
Still photographers have also weighed in, now choosing to only release their pictures at the end of the day, instead of a constant stream of Presidential moments.
A photo taken outside the Getty office, just near the briefing room, shows a sign saying ‘I stand with AP, CNN, MS NOW, Politico’.
How many other outlets will soon be added to the list?
With networks refusing to provide the pool service in solidarity with the banned news outlets, the White House provided its own coverage of the President.
It did not go well as audio proved to be a major challenge. While the President was talking, all that could be heard was the noise of a helicopter.
That’s why you need a professional audio recordist when speaking in a noisy area near a helipad.
I’m sure those issues will soon be taken care of with the launch of Trump TV. The administration has launched a 24/7 YouTube channel which, according to the description, will show the Trump Administration’s biggest moments all in one place.
So far, it’s just rehashed promotional videos but it will be interesting to see where it goes.
It’s a dangerous escalation.
The more the White House tries to shut out the media, the more control it has of what is released.
If an incident happens during an event, we could soon be reliant on the Administration to release the footage. If it paints Trump in a bad light, you can be sure we’ll never see it.
As I said, it’s dangerous.
The affected outlets are not taking the ban lying down, announcing they are suing Trump and senior officials, alleging that the ban constitutes viewpoint discrimination that violates the First Amendment.
Trump has already said he will appeal an expected win.
At least we’ve seen other networks support those who have been banned.
The press did cover Trump, however, as he met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, where Trump said he wasn’t worried about a press boycott, saying:
“They were gonna boycott me, but they never boycott me”
Trump thinks he’s being hard done by because the press aren’t reporting the good things he does.
The press would argue they report the good and the bad.
It’s a similar argument Pauline Hanson puts forward when she bans outlets like the ABC and The Guardian.
When I spoke to her in July on McKnight Tonight, she defended her decision to eject members of the press:
“You have to understand what I’ve been through with the media. The lies, the spins, the misrepresentation,
“I’m sick and tired of the lies and spin”.
There’s no doubt Pauline Hanson and Donald Trump have a perception that they are being done wrong by the media. Now they’re changing the rules of engagement – they’re fighting back and banning outlets they don’t like.
Where will it end?
Who knows.
But while the US media is banding together, would Australian media do the same?
When the ABC and The Guardian were thrown out of a recent One Nation press conference, News24, Seven, Nine and 10 all stayed and covered it.
On Tuesday, One Nation hit out at Channel 9 over a report where a Ku Klux Klan leader showed support for Pauline Hanson.
Hanson has called it ‘disgusting’.
That has me wondering what would happen if Hanson banned Channel 9 from future press conferences in retaliation.
Would News24, Seven and 10 stand back and let it happen, or would they step up and boycott One Nation press conferences?
I feel our local newsrooms are about to be tested… and I think they will fail.
Don’t forget to watch my chat with Steve Molk as he brings us all the goss from the Nine Upfront event last week. You can see that in the video edition of Media McKnight.
Media McKnight is published on YouTube every Tuesday at 8pm AEST at YouTube.com/@McKnightTonight.
The article goes live on the TV Blackbox website every Wednesday morning.
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No chance , can you imagine News24 siding with media organisations they bag every day