Whats the White House press pool?

The Justice Department’s decision to investigate the five TV networks that make up the White House television pool for potentially violating antitrust laws has thrust the decades-old press pool system into the spotlight.The investigation comes after Trump last month barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds.

The TV pool members responded by declining pool coverage for four days initially, and then on two subsequent occasions when CNN was blocked from performing its pool duties.That meant there was limited video coverage of Trump for six days, including his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

While the Justice Department investigates, the three news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico are challenging the Trump policy in federal court, in a case with implications for the longstanding system that journalists in the U.S.and around the world rely on to report on the presidency.

What is the press pool?The White House press pool is a group of media outlets that share video, editorial information and costs for coverage of high-profile officials and events involving the president anywhere in the world.Under the system, the day’s designated “poolers” represent the wider press corps to document newsworthy events and serve as a conduit between the president and the public.The arrangement allows the pool to distribute video and information to its members in situations where space is limited, such as events in the Oval Office or Cabinet meetings.

00:23DOJ investigates TV networks over Trump pool coverage00:0000:00The White House press corps has separate print, radio, still photography and TV pools.Press pools cover high-profile administration officials, government departments and government events.

The TV press pool declined to provide video and editorial coverage of Trump before a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban while a lawsuit filed by the three affected outlets proce...