Media News Daily: Top Stories for 10/13/2026

DOJ Investigates Networks Over White House Pool Boycott

The Justice Department is investigating whether ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC violated federal antitrust law by jointly suspending participation in White House television pool coverage. The action followed the Trump administration’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House access. DOJ spokesperson Emily Covington said coordinated boycotts by competing companies can potentially raise antitrust concerns, though the inquiry has not resulted in charges. The networks resumed coverage after a federal judge temporarily blocked the White House restrictions, while press-freedom groups have warned that the investigation could discourage news organizations from collectively protesting limits on press access. (Read More) (The Hill Rating)

Newsmax Legal Panel Questions DOJ Antitrust Case

Newsmax legal analyst Andrew Napolitano and trial attorney Wendy Patrick expressed skepticism about the Justice Department’s antitrust investigation into the five television networks. Patrick said the facts did not appear to fit neatly within traditional antitrust law, while Napolitano argued that the networks’ coordinated action was political rather than commercial and raised significant First Amendment issues. He also agreed with criticism from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press that the probe could be viewed as an attempt to intimidate journalists. (Read More) (Mediaite Rating)

Apple Must Face YouTube Scraping Lawsuit

A federal judge has allowed content creators to proceed with a lawsuit alleging that Apple bypassed YouTube’s anti-scraping protections to collect videos for training generative AI models. Plaintiffs Ted Entertainment and Matt Fisher claim Apple used automated downloading tools and rotating IP addresses to extract videos in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Apple argued that publicly available YouTube videos were not protected by access controls in the way the plaintiffs claimed, but U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg rejected that argument at this stage. The ruling allows the case to continue but does not determine whether Apple ultimately violated the law. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)