Fox News and CNN rarely find themselves fighting on the same side of a major Washington controversy.
But President Donald Trump’s battle with several national news organizations has produced exactly that.
CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter publicly praised Fox News on Thursday, calling the network a “real ally” after Fox joined other major television organizations in opposing restrictions placed on CNN, MS NOW and Politico at the White House.
The unusual alliance comes as a federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the outlets’ White House access.
For Americans accustomed to seeing Fox News and CNN clash over politics, the situation represents a striking example of competing media organizations joining forces when their own access to the presidency is at stake.
CNN’s Brian Stelter Praises Fox News
Stelter discussed the controversy during an appearance with Dana Bash on CNN’s Inside Politics.
Bash argued that the dispute extended beyond the three organizations directly affected and raised broader questions about how future presidents could treat news organizations they dislike.
Stelter then specifically praised Fox News for supporting the other networks.
“Fox News has been a real ally of CNN and the other major networks this week,” Stelter said.
He suggested Fox executives and journalists may recognize that rules created under one administration could later be used by another.
That concern cuts both ways politically.
A Republican president may object to coverage from CNN or other mainstream outlets, while a future Democratic administration could potentially clash with Fox News or conservative media.
Fox News Joins The Fight Over White House Access
Fox’s involvement was not limited to public statements.
The five major television networks participating in the White House television pool — Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC — suspended certain presidential pool coverage after CNN was prevented from performing its scheduled pool duties.
The television pool allows a rotating group of journalists and camera crews to cover presidential events on behalf of a much larger media contingent.
Without the pool system, many networks would have fewer opportunities to obtain live video and firsthand coverage of presidential events.
The dispute became particularly noticeable Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington.
Major television networks initially lacked the usual pool footage of events involving Trump and Xi while the access fight continued.
Fox News Correspondent Speaks Out
Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich has also been outspoken about the controversy.
Heinrich currently serves as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
In a statement, the organization warned that excluding one news organization because of its reporting could establish a precedent eventually used against other outlets.
“The implications extend beyond these organizations,” Heinrich said in the WHCA statement.
She argued that a standard used against one outlet today could potentially be used against another in the future.
The WHCA has maintained that once the White House grants journalists access, the government cannot arbitrarily revoke that access based on the content of their reporting.
Trump Accused The Networks Of Publishing ‘Fake News’
The fight began after Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would no longer be permitted access to the White House.
Trump has long accused major media organizations of publishing inaccurate or unfair coverage of him.
In announcing the move, Trump again accused the outlets of producing what he described as “fake news” and misleading reporting about his administration.
Supporters of Trump have frequently argued that establishment media outlets treat the president differently from Democratic politicians and often frame his administration negatively.
The affected news organizations reject the argument that unfavorable coverage provides a legitimate basis for removing White House access.
That disagreement quickly moved from the political arena into federal court.
Reporters Suddenly Lost White House Access
Journalists working for CNN, MS NOW and Politico reported that their White House credentials stopped functioning after Trump announced the restrictions.
CNN and MS NOW said reporters were denied entry to White House grounds on September 19.
The organizations subsequently challenged the administration’s decision.
That legal fight led to a significant ruling early Thursday morning.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to restore access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
Kelly was nominated to the federal bench by Trump during his first administration in 2017.
The order is temporary and does not represent a final resolution of the broader lawsuit.
However, Kelly concluded that the news organizations had met the legal standard necessary to obtain temporary relief while the case continues.
The ruling immediately intensified an already heated dispute between the White House and national news organizations.
Reporters Still Faced Problems After The Court Order
The controversy did not end when Kelly issued his order.
Reporters from the three organizations said Thursday morning that their credentials still did not allow them to enter White House grounds.
Attorneys representing CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed an emergency request with the court seeking additional intervention.
Later Thursday, the outlets reported that access had finally been restored.
MS NOW correspondent Laura Barrón-López reported around noon that her credentials were again working and that other journalists were also being restored.
The White House said in a court filing that access had been restored earlier in the morning.
The precise reason for the apparent delay remained unclear as of Thursday afternoon.
Stelter Raises A Much Broader Warning
Stelter used the controversy to make a broader criticism of the Trump administration.
The CNN correspondent argued that recent events represented what he described as “democratic backsliding” in the United States.
He also cited scholars who study authoritarian governments and said some believe similar warning signs are appearing in Washington.
Those comments represent Stelter’s political assessment rather than an established finding about the Trump administration.
Trump and his supporters strongly dispute portrayals of his presidency as authoritarian and argue that aggressive criticism of the mainstream media is justified because of what they view as years of inaccurate or politically biased reporting.
That disagreement has become one of the defining political battles of the Trump era.
Why Fox News Is Taking CNN’s Side
Fox News siding with CNN does not necessarily mean the network agrees with CNN’s journalism or political coverage.
Instead, the dispute involves a principle that could directly affect Fox in the future.
Any precedent giving presidents broader power to exclude unfavorable news organizations could theoretically be used by administrations from either political party.
A Republican administration could target liberal outlets.
A Democratic administration could potentially use the same authority against conservative outlets.
That possibility appears to be one reason organizations with dramatically different audiences are standing together.
For conservative viewers who have watched Fox News criticize CNN for years, seeing the two networks cooperate may seem unusual.
But the immediate issue is less about whether Fox agrees with CNN and more about whether presidents should be able to determine which established news organizations receive White House access based on their coverage.
A Rare Media Alliance
Trump’s confrontation with CNN, MS NOW and Politico has therefore produced an unlikely Washington alliance.
Fox News remains one of CNN’s biggest competitors, and the networks continue to approach many political stories very differently.
Yet when White House press access became the issue, they found themselves defending the same institutional interest.
The court battle is also not finished.
Judge Kelly’s temporary order lasts 14 days while the larger constitutional dispute moves forward.
That means the fight over presidential authority, press freedom and White House access could continue well beyond this week.
For now, however, CNN, MS NOW and Politico are back inside the White House — and Fox News has made clear that, on this particular issue, it is standing alongside its longtime media rivals.