司法部反垄断调查电视网引反弹，记者保护组织批「以调查恐吓新闻界」
美国司法部宣布对五家主要电视网启动反垄断调查一事周六持续发酵。保护记者委员会美洲地区负责人何塞·萨莫拉在社交平台上公开批评这一调查，称政府不应以反垄断调查恐吓捍卫采访权的新闻机构，「公众的知情权有赖于这种采访权」。截至周六晚间，五家被点名的电视网尚未作出正式回应。
司法部发言人艾米丽·科温顿周六向哥伦比亚广播公司表示，「电视新闻白宫联席报道团的成员抵制报道白宫活动。商业竞争者之间的联合抵制可能违反《谢尔曼法》。反垄断部门只是在调查这些新闻机构是否违反了反垄断法。」据《纽约时报》最先报道，被调查的五家机构为 ABC、CBS、CNN、NBC 和福克斯新闻。
调查的起因是上个月白宫吊销 CNN、Politico 与 MS NOW 三家媒体记者的白宫采访证，三家媒体随后提起诉讼，指控白宫报复性限制新闻自由。五家主要电视网曾短暂停顿白宫联席报道团的报道以示抗议，之后恢复了对特朗普总统的报道。五家电视网是白宫电视联席报道团的核心成员，长期分摊采访成本、轮流组织报道并共享画面。
此外，据《今日美国》报道，在电视联席报道团停顿报道的同一天，白宫摄影联席报道团中的摄影机构（包括路透社、盖蒂图片社、《纽约时报》和《华盛顿邮报》）曾达成协议，不在 9 月 21 日当天及至午夜前发布或分发所拍摄的照片。
法官此前下达的临时限制令要求白宫为三家被吊销证件的媒体恢复采访证两周，这一禁令将于周二到期，案件的最终裁决尚未作出。法律与媒体界人士指出，司法部动用反垄断工具介入媒体与白宫的报道权之争，可能对新闻自由产生寒蝉效应，事态仍在发展中。
DOJ Antitrust Probe of TV Networks Draws Backlash as Press Advocates Warn of Intimidation
The U.S. Justice Department's announcement of an antitrust investigation into five major television networks continued to draw reaction on Saturday. Jose Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists' regional director of the Americas, criticized the probe on social media, saying, "The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access. The public's right to know depends on that access." None of the five networks had formally responded as of late Saturday.
Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington told CBS News on Saturday that "members of the television press pool have boycotted covering White House events. Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws." The New York Times was first to report the probe; the networks under investigation are ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News.
The investigation stems from last month's White House decision to revoke the credentials of reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW. The outlets sued, alleging retaliation against their coverage. The five television networks briefly suspended White House pool coverage in protest before reinstating coverage of President Trump. The five are the primary members of the White House television pool, which shares the costs of covering the president, takes turns organizing coverage and shares footage.
USA Today also reported that on the same day the television pool halted coverage, outlets with still photographers in the White House pool, including Reuters, Getty Images, The New York Times and the Washington Post, agreed not to publish or distribute any photos taken on Sept. 21 until midnight.
A federal judge previously issued a restraining order requiring the White House to reinstate the three outlets' press passes for two weeks; that order expires Tuesday, and a final decision in the case is still pending. Legal and media experts warn that deploying antitrust tools in a fight over White House reporting access could have a chilling effect on press freedom, and the situation continues to develop.
图片来源：图：美国司法部大楼。摄影：Pelajanela，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
