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CNN threatens further legal action over Air Force One press pool access

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Reporters with bags walk across tarmac toward a US government aircraft bearing 'United States of America' livery.
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CNN’s outside lawyer, Ted Boutrous, wrote to the Justice Department that CNN will seek further court relief if the Trump administration keeps it off the Air Force One press pool, according to the coverage. The White House has kept CNN from the pool on presidential travel. In the letter, Boutrous said the efforts to retaliate against and discriminate against CNN over its coverage are unlawful. CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued last month after Trump barred them from White House grounds, and most access has been temporarily restored while the lawsuits continue. According to the New York Post, citing the Associated Press, a federal judge last week granted the outlets a preliminary injunction against that ban, though CNN says the ruling does not resolve its pool exclusion.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. CNN’s outside counsel, Ted Boutrous, wrote to the Justice Department threatening further legal action over its exclusion from the Air Force One press pool.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  2. The White House has kept CNN off the Air Force One press pool.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    New York Post

  3. CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued after Trump barred them from White House grounds about a month earlier.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Right
    New York Post

  4. A federal judge last week granted the outlets a preliminary injunction against the White House ban.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  5. Most White House access has been temporarily restored while the lawsuits continue.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The administration’s exclusion of CNN from the Air Force One pool is unlawful retaliation based on its coverage.

    CNN’s outside counsel says the efforts are retaliatory, discriminatory and unlawful; the supplied coverage reports no White House or Justice Department response to that claim.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that CNN’s lawyer wrote to the Justice Department threatening more court action over its exclusion from Air Force One pool coverage. The left stresses retaliation over the broader media ban, the center the DOJ and pool access, and the right the continuing ban.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headline casts the story as CNN threatening a new lawsuit over Trump’s media ban, centering the network’s retaliation claim and the broader ban.

    CNN Threatens New Legal Action Against Trump Over Media Ban
    The New RepublicFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Headline names the Justice Department as the target and the Air Force One blocks as the issue, a narrower frame that leaves out the earlier White House ban.

    CNN threatens Trump's DOJ with further legal action over Air Force One blocks
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    The right’s only coverage here is an Associated Press report, with a New York Post headline calling the Air Force One restriction a continuing ban.

    CNN threatens lawsuit against Trump administration as Air Force One ban continues
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    fake newsMore neutral: content he described as false

    The label dismisses the outlets’ reporting as false, a judgement the article attributes to the president rather than establishing it.

    …a month ago, along with those from MS NOW and Politico, calling their content “fake news.

    Quoted byNew York Post (Right)

    These are Donald Trump’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s media ban
  • CNN’s retaliation claim
  • lawsuits over the White House ban

Leaves out

  • the federal judge’s preliminary injunction

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Justice Department as target
  • pool rotation access
  • CNN’s legal threat

Leaves out

  • the earlier White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    CNN threatens Trump's DOJ with further legal action over Air Force One blocks

    CNN is threatening President Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) with further legal action if the White House continues blocking the network from performing its duties in pool rotation. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • continuing Air Force One ban
  • access denied four times
  • federal judge’s ruling against the ban
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • TownhallFar Right

    CNN Just Threatened Further Legal Action Against Trump Over Air Force One Access

    CNN threatened the White House with further legal action if it does not restore its access to Air Force One.

    Read at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightAssociated Press report

    CNN threatens lawsuit against Trump administration as Air Force One ban continues

    CNN threatens new legal action after being denied access to Air Force One four times, despite a federal judge's ruling against the White House ban.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    CNN threatens new legal action, saying it's still being denied access to Air Force One

    Already embroiled in a tense legal standoff with the White House, CNN is threatening further action in the courts if its journalists continue to be denied access to Air Force One and the "pool" of journalists who accompany President Donald Trump when he travels.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The New Republic, Oct 20, 11:57 AM EDT

  • Center

    4 hr 13 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 4:10 PM EDT

  • Right

    3 hr 31 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 3:29 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 20, 11:57 AM EDT
  2. The Washington TimesRightOct 20, 3:29 PM EDT
  3. The HillCenterOct 20, 4:10 PM EDT
  4. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 20, 5:15 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightOct 20, 5:32 PM EDT
  6. TownhallFar RightOct 21, 3:15 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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