The White House barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, carrying out President Donald Trump’s threat to exclude the outlets from the presidential grounds.
Each organisation said separately that its journalists had their press passes seized on the morning they arrived at the White House.
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The news outlets have indicated they could challenge the ban, arguing that it violates the First Amendment protections guaranteeing freedom of speech and a free press.
CNN described the move as “an illegal assault” on its constitutional right to conduct journalism without government interference.
MS NOW said it would “take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”
CNN and MS NOW said they would continue covering the Trump administration, while Politico said it remained committed to its White House reporting team.
Donald Trump taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office yesterday
In a social media post yesterday, Mr Trump accused the outlets of “reporting FAKE NEWS” and said they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.”
He added: “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
Asked in the Oval Office what he meant by other outlets, Mr Trump cited the New York Times and the Washington Post as examples of “fake news”. He did not explicitly say that either newspaper would be barred from the White House.
The New York Times called the latest ban “yet another retaliatory and unconstitutional threat” and said it “stands in support of the news organisations being unfairly targeted by the president”.
The Washington Post said its White House access was a “non-negotiable constitutional right” and described the president’s actions as “a clear form of intimidation meant to silence coverage.”
Mr Trump has previously attempted to exclude individual journalists and news organisations from press events.
Last year, he removed the Associated Press from the pool of reporters assigned to cover his movements after the agency declined to adopt his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico, following his instruction that the executive branch refer to it as the Gulf of America.
During his first term, the Trump White House tried to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem and CNN reporter Jim Acosta. Federal judges subsequently ordered that their White House press passes be restored.
