U.S.BONK-O-METER

Pool report boycott may have broken US law, DOJ says

ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and one other outlet rebelled after President Trump banned three outlets over reporting he called fake; the department cites the Sherman Act.

On air: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on The Bonk-o-Meter
Published 6:42 AM ET, Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Photo: U.S. Navy photo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on this story, from The Bonk-o-Meter at 6:42 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are TheBlaze's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: U.S. Navy photo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Photo: The Pentagon — Photo: U.S. Navy photo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

First reported by TheBlaze: “News outlets boycotting pool report might have violated US law, Justice Department says”.
Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 6:42 AM ET on The Bonk-o-Meter, by Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman.
Topics: Justice Department, DOJ, US.
BBN covered this story before: Justice Department investigates TV networks as White House… (October 12).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

TheBlazeNews outlets boycotting pool report might have violated US law, Justice Department says

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe claim is that five news outlets that boycotted a White House pool report may have broken the law, and the Justice Department has confirmed a criminal investigation.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorFive rivals agreed on something. I'd have called the police myself.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe department's line is that group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act. It says can, which is doing a lot of work.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorToday it's a pool report, Hank. Tomorrow they're all ordering the same bagel.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSame bagel.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe investigation is real, and a violation is only a possibility.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo the Bonk-o-Meter says Medium Bonkers, for the first time all five networks agreed and got an investigation out of it.

▶ Watch BBN liveMore U.S. →

More Shorts

All videos →

Photo: My100cans · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.Diet soda drinkers lost as much weight as water drinkers, study findsRead the story
Photo: Robert Eva · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.Two-year Middlesbrough South Bank bridge closure 'unacceptable'Read the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.A'ja Wilson WNBA MVP: Predicting It Is Like a Toaster Making ToastAbout this segment
Photo: Cullen328 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.Ram trucks, heart valve catheters and how recalls get reportedRead the story
▶ As it aired · U.S.Gen Z thinks they're so special, they can't deal with romanceRead the story
▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.NFL Report Cards: Winless Teams Get an A for AttendanceAbout this segment
Photo: Tisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.Owls ringed to measure benefits of wildlife farmingRead the story
Photo: YESNetwork · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.Jackson Olson reacts to being canceled over Guillermo Rodriguez dissRead the story
▶ Interviews · U.S.Sister Sister 3 Deal: Guest Who Never Saw the Films AuditionsAbout this segment
Photo: Océanos y dados · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · U.S.Fake Facebook Marketplace listing uses your nameRead the story