司法部启动反垄断调查：五大电视网因白宫记者池抵制遭查
美国司法部周六（10 月 10 日）确认，反垄断司正在调查 ABC、CBS、CNN、NBC 和福克斯新闻五家电视网，是否在上月集体暂停白宫记者池报道期间违反了联邦反垄断法。司法部发言人 Emily Covington 当天发表声明称，商业竞争者之间的集体抵制可能违反《谢尔曼法案》，反垄断司只是调查这些新闻机构是否违法。
调查由《纽约时报》周六率先披露。据《华尔街日报》报道，各电视网周五（10 月 9 日）才得知自己被查，司法部已要求调取它们之间就记者池抵制事宜的沟通记录和相关材料。CNN 报道称，截至周六晚，五家电视网或拒绝置评，或未回应置评请求。
事情起因是 9 月 18 日特朗普宣布，CNN、MS NOW 和 Politico 因其报道被禁止进入白宫建筑群，记者证随后被撤销。9 月 21 日，五家电视网以声援同行为由宣布暂停轮值记者池报道，一度造成白宫活动数天没有电视记者池转播。9 月 24 日，联邦地区法官 Timothy Kelly 签发临时限制令，要求政府恢复三家媒体记者的白宫证件，目前官司仍在审理。
司法部的反垄断调查令冲突进一步升级。CNN 引述一个知名第一修正案团体称，这项调查“毫无道理”。值得注意的是，两周前特朗普的盟友 Laura Loomer 曾公开呼吁司法部以反垄断为由对付各电视网。第一修正案维权组织此前也已警告，政府以“假新闻”为由决定哪些媒体能进入白宫，将在法庭上面临严峻的合宪性审查。
此前五家电视网在联合声明中强调，任何政府都不应因为不喜欢新闻机构的报道就将其拒之门外，白宫则坚持称进入白宫是一种“特权而非权利”。司法部此次调查是特朗普政府与主流媒体过去数周紧张关系的最新一幕。五家电视网目前已恢复记者池报道，但白宫允许右翼媒体随团的次数较抵制前明显增加。
DOJ Launches Antitrust Probe of Five TV Networks Over White House Press Pool Boycott
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed on Saturday (Oct. 10) that its Antitrust Division is investigating whether ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News violated federal antitrust law when they collectively suspended their White House press pool coverage last month. In a statement released Saturday, DOJ spokesperson Emily Covington said group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act, adding that the division is investigating whether the news organizations broke the law.
The probe was first reported by The New York Times on Saturday. According to The Wall Street Journal, the networks learned of the investigation on Friday (Oct. 9), with Justice Department officials seeking records of communications among them regarding the pool. CNN reported that as of Saturday night, the five networks had either declined to comment or had not responded to requests for comment.
The dispute stems from President Trump's Sept. 18 announcement banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House complex over their coverage, followed by the revocation of their reporters' credentials. On Sept. 21, the five networks announced they would suspend pooled coverage in solidarity, leaving White House events without pooled TV coverage for several days. On Sept. 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to reinstate the outlets' press passes; that litigation remains pending.
The antitrust inquiry marks a new escalation in the administration's clash with the press. CNN cited a leading First Amendment group calling the probe nonsensical. Two weeks ago, Trump ally Laura Loomer publicly urged the DOJ to challenge the networks on antitrust grounds. Free-press advocates have warned that excluding outlets based on the content of their coverage faces serious constitutional scrutiny in court.
In a joint statement last month, the five networks stressed that no administration should reject a news organization because it objects to its reporting, while the White House maintains that covering the president is a privilege, not a right. The networks have since resumed pool coverage, though the administration has given right-leaning outlets more travel access than before the boycott.
图片来源：美国司法部大楼，APK 摄，CC BY 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
