New York Times, CNN, others barred from press briefing

[abaris]

Although the president has the legal right to give access to whomever he likes, or no have press conferences at all if he wishes, it's pretty clear that this was done out of simple spite.

I'm not even sure he's got the legal right. Where I live, government agencies and the government aren't allowed to refuse commenting to the press or to make a selection of whom they're talking to. They're accountable to the public and refusing to talk to the media is actually breaking the law.

Might be that American legislation is different.