Arguments begin after Defense Department restricts press access at the Pentagon
Arguments begin Friday in a lawsuit filed against the Defense Department after the Pentagon last year imposed new rules limiting what authorized journalists could report from the building.
As Straight Arrow News previously reported, the Pentagon introduced a new strategy. press policy In September, members of the Pentagon press corps were asked to pledge not to report any information not approved by the department, including non-classified material.
The policy states that “DoW information, even if unclassified, must be approved for public release by an appropriate competent authority before release.” Journalists who refuse to comply risk losing their press credentials.
News organizations affiliated with the Pentagon press corps were given until Tuesday, October 14, to sign the agreement. Those who refused were required to surrender their press badges.
Many news organizations refuse
A few major news sources refused to sign the policyIncluding The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Reuters, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Newsmax and The Washington Times.
Matt Murray, executive editor of the Washington Post, said the proposed restrictions “undermine First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary restrictions on the collection and publication of information.”
All five major broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News) refused to sign the agreement.
Many organizations have described the policy as a gag order, saying it violates First Amendment rights and restricts reporting on how a nearly $1 trillion federal department spends taxpayer money.
The New York Times is suing
In addition to refusing to sign the agreement, The New York Times took things a step further and filed a lawsuit challenging the new policy.
The newspaper’s lawyers argue that the policy “seeks to restrict journalists’ ability to do the things journalists have always done—ask government employees and gather information to report stories that will move the public beyond official statements.”
The lawsuit also states that Pentagon leadership, faced with what it viewed as negative coverage, responded by adopting a policy that “could alienate journalists and news organizations who disliked the Department’s coverage and chilled future reporting critical of the Pentagon.”
But the Pentagon defended the policy, calling it “reasonable” and saying it was meant to protect national security.
Both Pentagon spokesman and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said access to the Pentagon was “a privilege, not a right.”
Related timing
Friday’s hearing took place while the Pentagon was directing ongoing military operations in Iran.
Earlier this week, Hegseth and Chief of Staff Dan Caine held two press conferences about Operation Epic Rage. Although many outlets no longer carry Pentagon credentials, NBC News reports The Pentagon allowed them to attend these briefings.
