White House Press Fight Brings National Debate Into Marist Classrooms
Marist communications faculty are integrating the recent lawsuit involving the White House press pool into their teachings. Emily Klena '28
In late September, the executive branch moved to bar reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House press pool following criticism of their coverage. The decision quickly drew attention after Secret Service agents turned journalists away from the White House and confiscated their press credentials, turning a dispute over press access into a broader debate over the relationship between the administration and the news media.
The move was followed by pushback from other news organizations. Major television networks briefly suspended shared broadcast pool coverage in solidarity after CNN was barred from the White House, while The Associated Press joined other news organizations in filing a brief supporting the outlets' challenge to the administration's actions.
The three news organizations filed an emergency federal lawsuit, arguing that restricting access based on editorial coverage violated First Amendment protections against viewpoint discrimination and Fifth Amendment due process rights. On Sept. 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order requiring the White House to restore the outlets' press access while the case continued.
For journalism students at Marist, the ongoing dispute has provided a current example of issues that are often discussed in more theoretical terms in class. Instead of studying press freedom only through past court cases and historical conflicts, students can follow a case that is still developing and see how those principles are applied in real time.
Marist faculty members teaching communication law and journalism history have been following the case with their students, using the developments to connect constitutional principles with the situations journalists can encounter while working in the field.
"When appropriate, I love to bring real-life examples into the classroom because it helps demonstrate the significance of our classroom conversations," Dr. Alexis Haskell, visiting assistant professor of journalism, said. "I'm teaching communication law right now, and since we're learning about freedom of the press, this is a very useful case study to help students understand the applications of our class topics."
The dispute has also given students a chance to watch the relationship between the press and government unfold beyond the classroom.
"I also teach a course about the history of journalism in the United States, and we used this case study to discuss the history of tension points between the government and the press," said Haskell.
Rather than treating the controversy as a one-day discussion, Haskell said she wants students to keep up with the case as new developments emerge.
"For any course, I incorporate real-life examples informally, asking students what they've heard about the situation, how it relates to what we've been learning about and if they have any questions," she said. "For an event that's happening in real time like this one, I make sure we continue to track the case as a class."
As the legal proceedings continue, students are able to follow the same issues they discuss in class as they unfold in the news.
"I hope students recognize that what we're studying in class has real, concrete consequences," Haskell said. "For those hoping to study journalism, I hope they're reminded that journalism is a powerful force in our society, and our First Amendment right to free speech is imperative to carrying out that work."
For journalism and communication students at Marist, the case offers a chance to see how questions about press freedom, government access and constitutional rights play out beyond the classroom and inside an active legal dispute.
“While it doesn’t make the current situation any less concerning or angering, remembering that our journalistic forebears dealt with some of the same dynamics and persevered can be reassuring when things feel chaotic and out of control,” Haskell said.