The New York Times announced that it will sue the Pentagon over its imposition of new restrictions on the press reporting on the military.
Much of the Pentagon press corps walked out on Oct. 15 after they refused to sign a new policy imposing major restrictions on news outlets reporting on the military, including a pledge not to report information from military sources that was not officially put out by the department. Two months later, the New York Times is suing the War Department over the measure, asking the court to stop its enforcement of the new press policy and declare the First Amendment-related provisions unlawful.
The lawsuit portrayed the new policies as an unprecedented attack on press freedoms by the Pentagon, saying the purpose was “to close the doors of the Pentagon — those areas that have historically been open to the press — to news organizations, like plaintiffs, that investigate and report without fear or favor about the actions of the department and its leadership.”
In a statement, the outlet said it “intends to vigorously defend against the violation of these rights, just as we have long done throughout administrations opposed to scrutiny and accountability.”
The Pentagon reporter for the outlet who handed in his badge when the new policy was implemented is also listed as a plaintiff. The Washington Examiner was among the news outlets that refused to sign the new guidelines.
“We do not plan to sign the Pentagon document. The Washington Examiner does not sign agreements with people we cover in our reporting in any other area, and we do not plan to make an exception in this case. The Department of War will set its rules and we will continue to provide our readers with strong independent news reporting,” Washington Examiner Editor-in-Chief Hugo Gurdon said.
The press corps was replaced by largely conservative and pro-Trump outlets and individuals willing to sign the new policy.
The mass revocation of press passes of Pentagon reporters was the Trump administration’s biggest restriction implemented against journalists in either of the Trump administrations. The White House revoked the press passes of two White House reporters during his first term, but these were reinstated after legal action.
Trump stood by the War Department’s decision, arguing it was necessary for national security.
“When it comes to war and now our great Department of War, we have some great people over there,” Trump said in October. “It bothers me to have soldiers and even high-ranking generals walking around with you guys on their sleeve,” he added.
“They’re not press people,” he said. “They can make a mistake, and a mistake can be tragic. They can do it innocently, too.”
