New York Times sues Pentagon over rules limiting access for media

One of the largest newspapers in the world, the New York Times, is suing the Pentagon to overturn new guidelines for restricting media access.

The newspaper claimed in a filing on Thursday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s regulations violate both the First Amendment’s and Due Process Clause. They contend that Hegseth has the authority to decide on his own whether a reporter should be expelled under the rules.

Instead of agreeing to the new regulations, several publications, including The New York Times, have relocated their headquarters inside the Pentagon, reshaping the press corps, which are mostly seen as sympathetic to US President Donald Trump’s administration.

After the case was submitted to the US District Court in Washington, DC, spokesman for the Times Charles Stadtlander said in a statement that “the policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes.”

The Pentagon did not respond to the lawsuit right away.

Since October, news outlets have covered the military from outside the facility, including a so-called double-tap strike on a Caribbean boat that some experts believe may constitute a war crime.

The Times contends in the lawsuit that the lack of access to reporters’ jobs will ultimately “deprive the public of vital information about the United States military and its leadership.”

The First Amendment’s protection of receiving or publishing sensitive information is stated in the policy enacted under Hegseth, but it also states that the decision to seek to obtain such information “may factor in the consideration of whether you pose a security or safety risk.”

According to the Times lawsuit, the wording effectively grants Pentagon officials the authority to fire reporters who disagree with a report they are researching.

The Pentagon claims that the policy “common sense” guidelines prevent the military from releasing information that could put them in danger. Kingsley Wilson, the press secretary for the Pentagon, stated at her briefing on Tuesday that the legacy media were not missed.

According to Wilson, “The American people don’t trust these propagandists because they stopped being truthful.” Therefore, we won’t beg these retired gatekeepers to return, and we won’t rebuild a model that isn’t working just to appease them.

The Times’ “effort to step up and defend press freedom,” the Pentagon Press Association, a group that represents journalists who cover the agency, said in a statement.