CNN was called a purveyor of “fake news” by President Donald Trump, including a contentious back-and-forth between him and CNN correspondent Jim Acosta at Trump Tower. Here’s what Politico had to say [1] about the matter:
The White House has refused to send its spokespeople or surrogates onto CNN shows, effectively freezing out the network from on-air administration voices.
“We’re sending surrogates to places where we think it makes sense to promote our agenda,” said a White House official, acknowledging that CNN is not such a place, but adding that the ban is not permanent.
A CNN reporter, speaking on background, was more blunt: The White House is trying to punish the network and force down its ratings.
“They’re trying to cull CNN from the herd,” the reporter said.