As the legal dispute between President Donald Trump and media outlets whose reporting he opposes continues to intensify, a crucial third party has entered the fray: everyday citizens who consume news to fulfill their daily work duties.

A lawsuit brought on Monday on behalf of six such individuals—functioning effectively as representatives for news audiences—argues that revoking press credentials at White House locations violates more than the rights of media organizations. At a fundamental level, the suit asserts that these bans breach the public's core right to uncompromised reporting on its president and federal leadership.

"The ultimate injury here … is to the democratic public," reads the complaint, which was submitted in a federal district court in New York against Trump and three senior aides, including White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

"The First Amendment protects the public’s right to know what its government is doing," said Katie Fallow, who serves as deputy litigation director at the…