WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) – The US Justice Department is investigating television networks over pool coverage of President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing six people with knowledge of the department’s action.
The networks under investigation, according to the newspaper, are ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News.
“Members of the television press pool have proudly boycotted covering White House events. Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” a Justice Department spokesperson told the New York Times.
“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws.”
The Justice Department and the networks did not immediately respond to requests by Reuters for comment.
The television networks had briefly stopped providing pool coverage of Trump after he banned CNN, Politico and MS Now from the White House.
They later reinstated coverage of the Republican president.
CNN is one of the five news organizations — along with ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — that make up the primary White House television pool. They share the costs of covering the president, take turns organizing coverage and share the footage with outlets around the country.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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