White House launches website to label "media offenders"

The White House has launched a new page on its website called "Media Offenders", reports dw. Its aim will be to flag news sites, reporters and articles that the administration deems misleading on a weekly basis. Current "media offenders" include the Boston Globe, CBS News and The Independent, according to the site.

Reporters for these media outlets have focused on a controversial video of six Democratic lawmakers. These former soldiers and intelligence officers called on members of the armed forces to refuse unlawful orders. President Donald Trump called their actions treasonous.

The site includes a "hall of shame" with explanations of the cases and categories such as "lying," "omitting context," or "leftist lunacy." The ranking is led by The Washington Post ahead of MSNBC, CBS News, CNN, The New York Times, Politico and The Wall Street Journal. The "repeat offenders" section includes other media outlets such as Axios and the Associated Press.

All of the media outlets on the list returned accreditation to the Pentagon last month following new U.S. War Department rules. These allow journalists to be expelled for publishing unapproved information. The administration is pursuing lawsuits against several media outlets, including the New York Times and CBS News.

(sie)