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Maryland | Culture > News

The Press Will Prevail: Journalism Majors React To White House Ban

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Maryland chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

By: Jada Morton


Two future journalists at the University of Maryland believe news publications should stick together, amid ongoing legal battles over White House access. 

On Sept. 18, President Donald Trump announced that the following news organizations were banned from the White House: CNN, MSNOW and Politico. Trump referred to these organizations as fake news and stated they should be unable to “write or report FICTION and LIES,” according to his Truth Social post. 

After the news outlets filed a joint lawsuit on Sept. 21, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly “granted a 14-day temporary restraining order,” on Sept. 24. This required the White House to immediately restore press credentials to journalists from the banned organizations, according to NPR. 

This legal dispute resonated with two journalism majors, prompting them to reflect on the situation as a whole.

“I have a little bit of faith that maybe it won’t be so bad once…we, who are in college right now…go out into the field and do journalism,” Charlie Apuya, 18, a sophomore journalism major, said.  

While he maintains hope for the next generation of journalists, Apuya said aspiring journalists need to be careful and stick with each other in order to hold people in power accountable during times of censorship. It’s important for people to know what’s happening in the White House. He said if you ban certain outlets, you lose diverse coverage from all sides, which may upset the public. 

“What is accountability, if not standing with your fellow journalists who have been banned?” Apuya said.

Olaide Kazeem, 20, a junior journalism major and minor in technological entrepreneurship and corporate innovation, said historically, there’s always been an attack on journalism, and multiple presidents have tried to exclude news outlets. Standing together is the best thing for the industry because it shows regardless of political views and differing types of journalism, we are all one industry, she said. 

“In the end the press will always…prevail, the truth is always there,” Kazeem said. 

The two-week temporary restraining order expires on Oct. 8, all three publications will continue to have press credentials until the case is resolved, according to NPR.Â