Judge rules in favor of New York Times against Pentagons journalism restrictions

US Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon’s Policy Limiting Press Access

A federal judge in Washington, DC has ruled that the Trump administration’s policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Pentagon is unlawful. US District Judge Paul Friedman agreed with The New York Times in its argument that key portions of the new rules are unconstitutional.

The ruling sides with The Times in its lawsuit against the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, claiming the credentialing policy violates journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Reporters from outlets that refused to consent to the new rules have continued reporting on the military.

Friedman ruled that the Pentagon policy fails to provide fair notice of what routine journalistic practices will result in the denial or revocation of press credentials. He also stated that the policy ultimately violates the First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process.

The judge’s ruling was based on the argument that the policy is designed to silence unfavourable press coverage of President Trump’s administration, which Friedman described as “viewpoint discrimination”. The Pentagon had argued that the policy imposes “common sense” rules to protect national security information.

Friedman acknowledged that national security must be protected, but emphasized the importance of public access to information from various perspectives. He stated that the policy is intended to weed out “disfavored journalists”, which Friedman described as a clear instance of illegal viewpoint discrimination.

The ruling has been welcomed by The New York Times, with spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander stating that it “enforces the constitutionally protected rights for the free press in this country”.

Source: Al Jazeera