A federal judge has moved to block a policy implemented by the Trump administration that restricted news reporters’ access to the Pentagon, declaring key elements of the new regulations unlawful.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, presiding in Washington, D.C., sided with The New York Times, determining that the Pentagon’s policy unlawfully curtailed the press credentials of journalists who declined to accept the new terms.
The New York Times initiated legal action against the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in December, asserting that the credentialing policy infringed upon journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
The Pentagon’s current press corps largely consists of conservative media outlets that consented to the policy. However, journalists from organizations that rejected the new rules, such as The Associated Press, have persisted in their military reporting.
“The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes,” said Charles Stadtlander at the time of filing, spokesman for the newspaper.
Despite losing credentials, outlets denied access to the Pentagon have continued reporting on the U.S. military.
Nevertheless, the Times said denial of access to the Pentagon restricts its reporters’ ability to do their job. Since the new policy gives Hegseth the right to oust reporters working on stories he doesn’t like — even if they don’t involve classified information — it has a chilling effect on journalists, the newspaper argued in court papers. Lawyers are also concerned similar restrictions will be put in place at other federal agencies.
The Pentagon has argued that the policy imposes “common sense” rules that protect the military from release of information that could put them in danger. During a briefing, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the legacy media outlets aren’t missed.
“The American people don’t trust these propagandists because they stopped telling the truth,” Wilson said. “So, we’re not going to beg these old gatekeepers to come back and we’re not rebuilding a broken model just to appease them.”