The Briefing
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In today’s email:
- Featured story: Judge orders White House to restore access for CNN, MS NOW, Politico
- In other news: California passes law addressing influencers’ political ads
- Looking ahead: Paramount settlement means CNN and CBS will be under the same ownership
- Chart of the week: How U.S. concerns about press freedom compare with worries about other rights
🔥 Featured story
A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration must temporarily restore White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which filed a lawsuit after their reporters were banned from White House grounds last week.
The ban and subsequent lawsuit have stirred up national conversations about press freedom. According to a June 2026 survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative, 44% of U.S. adults say the press has become less free during the second Trump administration, while 12% say it has become more free, 26% say there has been no change and 17% aren’t sure. There is a large partisan gap: 72% of Democrats say the press has become less free since Trump’s return to office, compared with 15% of Republicans.
Republicans, for their part, express high levels of distrust in these three media outlets. In a March 2025 survey, Republicans were much more likely to say they distrust than trust CNN, MS NOW and Politico as sources of news, including a majority who said they distrust CNN (58%). Trump’s explanation for the ban echoes this distrust: He told reporters on Friday that his decision was spurred by “two years of unfair and negative coverage” from these outlets.
📌 In other news
📅 Looking ahead
Paramount has reached a settlement in the antitrust lawsuit filed by a group of states, allowing it to move forward with its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. As part of the settlement, Paramount agreed to create an independent editorial board to oversee the two major news networks it will own: CNN and CBS News.
These are two of Americans’ biggest news sources, according to a 2025 Center survey. A third of U.S. adults at the time said they regularly get news from CNN, and three-in-ten said the same about CBS News. Nearly half of Americans (46%) said they regularly get news from at least one of these sources.
Read more about how Americans use and trust major news sources.
📊 Chart of the week
This week’s chart comes from a recent Pew-Knight Initiative report on Americans’ views of press freedom.
Overall, 46% of U.S. adults say they are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedom in the country. Similar shares are concerned about freedom of speech (50%), freedom to assemble peacefully (47%) and the right to vote (46%). Democrats are more concerned than Republicans about potential restrictions on all four of these rights, while Republicans are more likely than Democrats to be concerned about possible limits on the right to bear arms.
Republicans are less concerned than Democrats about potential restrictions on several rights, including press freedom
% of each group who say they are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions in the United States on …
Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown.
Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026.
“Americans Value Press Freedom but Differ on Its Limits”
PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE
Republicans are less concerned than Democrats about potential restrictions on several rights, including press freedom
% of each group who say they are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions in the United States on …
| All U.S. adults | Rep/Lean Rep | Dem/Lean Dem | Dem-Rep Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of speech | 50 | 39 | 61 | +22 |
| Freedom to assemble peacefully | 47 | 32 | 62 | +30 |
| Freedom of the press | 46 | 29 | 64 | +35 |
| Right to vote | 46 | 29 | 64 | +35 |
| Freedom of religion | 38 | 37 | 41 | +4 |
| Right to bear arms | 37 | 48 | 27 | -21 |
Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown.
Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026.
“Americans Value Press Freedom but Differ on Its Limits”
PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE
👋 That’s all for this week.
The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Anna Jackson.
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