DOJ Probes TV Networks Over White House Pool Halt

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether five television networks violated antitrust law when they suspended pooled coverage of President Donald Trump for several days last month. The inquiry is not a finding that the networks broke the law. The department’s Antitrust Division is examining whether the networks’ decision amounted to an unlawful agreement among competitors, spokesperson Emily Covington said Saturday. She said group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act, while describing the inquiry as an effort to determine whether the networks violated antitrust laws. People familiar with the matter told The New York Times that department officials contacted the networks Friday and requested communications and other materials concerning the White House television pool and its coverage decisions. The five networks are ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News. The underlying requests have not been made public. The pool is a longstanding arrangement in which the participating networks take turns recording presidential events and share footage with other news organizations.