Pentagon to remove media offices after court reinstates NYT credentials, imposes new restrictions
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: The Pentagon will remove long-standing media office spaces inside its headquarters following a federal court ruling reinstated press credentials for The New York Times, marking the latest development in an ongoing dispute over press access.
The decision follows a court ruled that previous press limitations infringed on the constitutional rights of people and directed the reinstatement of credentials for the affected reporters.
Court ruling prompts policy shift
An area of the Pentagon known as 'Correspondents' Corridor,' which reporters have used for decades to cover the US military, will close immediately, department spokesperson Sean Parnell said.
Journalists will eventually be able to work from an "annex" outside the building, which he said "will be available when ready." He offered no details about how long that will take.
The Pentagon Press Association said the announcement "is a clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week's ruling."
"At such a critical time, we ask why the Pentagon is choosing to restrict vital press freedoms that help inform all Americans," the association said.
The dispute centers on a lawsuit filed by The New York Times challenging a policy that requires journalists to abide by restrictions on how they may obtain information.
A federal judge ruled that such a policy discriminated against certain reporters, denied them First Amendment protection, and ordered credentials to be renewed.
New restrictions imposed
The new policy is the latest dispute over press access to President Donald Trump's administration, which has limited legacy media while boosting conservative and pro-Trump outlets.
The Times sued the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in December, claiming the agency's new credentialing policy violated journalists' constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
Dozens of reporters had walked out of the building rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work.
US District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, DC, last week sided with the newspaper. He ordered the Pentagon to reinstate the press credentials of seven Times journalists and struck down some of the agency's restrictions on news reporting.
Parnell said the Defense Department disagrees with the ruling and is pursuing an appeal. He said security concerns prompted restrictions on press access, a claim that journalists have rejected.
Under the latest Pentagon rules announced Monday, journalists will still have access to the Pentagon for press conferences and interviews arranged through the department's public affairs team, but they will have to be escorted, Parnell wrote on social media.
Press groups and media organizations have criticized the changes, arguing that they undermine the intent of the court’s ruling and restrict transparency.
