Pentagon Closes Press Offices, Changes Press Policy After Court Order

The Department of Defense (DOD) announced Monday that the workspace used inside the Pentagon by reporters will be closed and a new space built in an annex building on Pentagon grounds.

Correspondents' Corridor: The decision to close the space within the Pentagon used by reporters for years and create a new space in a different building to house press workers came after Judge Paul Friedman of the US District Court for the District of Columbia struck down the DOD changes to the press policy. The DOD said the change is "effective immediately" and the new facility "will be available when ready."

The Ruling: Friedman issued a ruling Friday favoring the New York Times (Lean Left bias) over the DOD in a lawsuit that began in December. Friedman said that "Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation's security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech." The order ruled the DOD requirement for obtaining press passes "unconstitutional" and declared the seven journalists from the Times be returned their badges.

Only Via Escort: Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said, "In assessing the Department's security posture following the court's removal of all security screening authority, the Department determined that unescorted access to the Pentagon cannot be responsibly maintained without the ability to screen credential holders for security risks." Reporters will be able to access the Pentagon but will require escort from authorized personnel according to the statement. Parnell also said the agency disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.

"Defying Judge's Order": Outlets like the New York Times framed the developments around what the outlet called "the latest effort by Pentagon officials to limit journalists' access to the Defense Department." The article also noted that "Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, has had an adversarial stance toward the news media since he took over last year." The Guardian (Left) said the "New York Times accuses Pentagon of defying judge's press access order." The article said, "Instead of complying with the judge's order" the DOD decided to "permanently close a designated work space for journalists" and issue a "revised policy that now requires journalists to be escorted into the building."     

"Loophole": An opinion writer for ZeroHedge (Lean Right) called the DOD action a "loophole" strategy to bypass the judge's ruling. The writer said the political divide in the US has not "been so deep" since the Civil War, adding that it is "to the point that left-wing journalists might represent a clear and present danger to national security." The writer references several information leaks to the press, often directly in relation to military operations. According to the writer, the DOD decision "does challenge traditional courtesies given to the press, and perhaps even disrupts access that some would consider a First Amendment obligation," but added that "it cannot be denied that the establishment media as it exists today has proven time and time again to be dangerously biased against Trump and conservatives," and that some of this bias has "bordered on treason" referencing the "Russiagate hoax" as a clear example. Considering this, the writer said, "It is not surprising that Trump would seek to distance the press from Pentagon access."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.