Local journalism experts discuss White House Press ban and boycott

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A CNN reporter was denied access to the White House grounds after President Donald Trump said late Friday he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico. 

Other major media organizations are responding to the ban by boycotting, claiming the ban is unacceptable.

The president has been posting on social media about his decision to ban certain media organizations from White House access.

Local journalists, broadcasting professors and more are expressing concern and calling the president’s actions unethical and a violation of free press.

“There’s going to be court decisions tied to this specifically. It needs to be hashed out in the courts, and it also needs to be reviewed, I would say diligently, mainly because any time you’re restricting access to the press, there should be a reason for it,” WKU Professor of Broadcasting, Brad Pfranger.

“It affects everybody. So if it’s bad for one side, it’s bad for everybody. And I think that’s what seeing, the different news outlets, including the Fox News and the CNN, everybody coming together, they know that this is bad for media in general,” said WKU Assistant Professor of Broadcasting Ryan Dearbone.

“He wants to ban the ‘fake news’. But ultimately, it’s not the role of the government to decide which news is fair and free. And I’m a college student, so the future’s a little shaky right now,” said Anthony Clauson, the editor-in-chief of the College Heights Herald.

When called out for attacking the first amendment, he responded with a post to social media saying “the white house is not instituting an assault on the free press… it is instituting an assault on the fake news – calling it a cancer and threat to national security.

“He’s not banning media outlets. What he’s doing is saying, we’re not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively propaganda. They could still report. They still have the access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore. And I think it’s totally appropriate. Unless, of course, they start to behave like real news organizations,” said Vice President JD Vance.

In regards to Trump TV, Dearbone believes the organization can release information, but it isn’t real journalism.

“Independent journalists, their charge is to look at both sides and report positive versus negative. So you can have something like Trump TV, you can have something like that. But that doesn’t replace the core mission of journalism,” said Dearbone.