New York Times Sues Pentagon Over New Press Policy

The New York Times (Lean Left bias) sued the Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday over the Pentagon's new press policy.

The Details: The lawsuit detailed arguments over the new policy's alleged violations of the First Amendment, saying it "seeks to restrict journalists' ability to do what journalists have always done — ask questions of government employees and gather information to report stories that take the public beyond official pronouncements." The complaint also requested that the court block the policy's enforcement, arguing that it violates First Amendment rights.

For Context: In February, the Trump Administration began to tilt the bias of the Pentagon Press Corps toward the right, upsetting press rooms once made up of mostly liberal outlets. Then, in September, the Pentagon introduced new restrictions on journalists, requiring them to agree not to disclose unauthorized information. Finally, in October, the new mandated press policy was released, requiring a signed agreement to maintain press credentials. Over 35 mainstream outlets across the spectrum refused to sign the policy, and outlets such as ABC News (Lean Left), CBS News (Lean Left), CNN (Lean Left), NBC News (Lean Left), and Fox News (Right) issued a joint statement expressing concerns over the new policy. The new press corps consists of influencers and media outlets such as Infowars (Right), the Gateway Pundit (Right), Frontlines TPUSA (Right), Human Events (Lean Right), and others.   

How The Media Covered It: The Post Millennial (Right), one of the outlets in the new press corps, highlighted "disgruntled members of the former press corps" taking to "their pages to complain" about the policy, adding that "The New York Times went a step further" by suing the Pentagon. The New York Times, on the other hand, highlighted details around the policy change, saying the new rules "are a stark departure from the previous ones, in both length and scope." The outlet also detailed many of the arguments put forth in the lawsuit, mentioning that "reporting any information not approved by department officials" could be punishable, regardless of whether such news gathering occurs on or off Pentagon grounds." Reuters (Center) highlighted the details of the lawsuit, while also adding commentary from Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell saying, "We are aware of the New York Times lawsuit and look forward to addressing these arguments in court."    

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