Reporters and Journalists alike now have to fight to stop censorship.
The New York Times sued the U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over the Pentagon’s new press policy, which requires journalists to acknowledge they could be branded as security risks and have their Pentagon press badge revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified or certain unclassified information.
The policy, unveiled in September, includes a ban on credentialed journalists reporting even unclassified material that isn’t directly approved for public consumption by the Defense Department Brass. Hegseth posted on social media, “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon, the people do.”
The New York Times said “the Pentagon policy represents an attempt to force reporters to rely solely upon officials for news involving the military and would unlawfully permit their punishment for failing to do so.”
The Times and NPR are among the organizations that chose to give up their press pass rather than abide by this policy. Despite giving in their Pentagon credentials, news organizations have been aggressively reporting on military action, including the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Venezuelan vessels, which is news that contradicts official accounts. Even right-leaning news outlets, such as Fox News, have given up their press passes.
The Times argues that the policy violates the First Amendment, as it blocks journalists from asking government employees questions and gathering information that needs to be shown to the public. “It is exactly the type of speech and press-restrictive scheme that the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit have recognized violates the First Amendment,” the brief states. “The Policy abandons scrutiny by independent news organizations for the public’s benefit.”
It also forces reporters to sign a 21-page form that puts restrictions on requests for story tips and questions to Pentagon sources. Journalists who do not comply could lose their press passes.
This new policy threatens free speech and keeps citizens from viewing essential updates on the U.S. political state. People have the right to know what is happening within their own government without fear of censorship. As quoted in the U.S. Bill of Rights, the ideals that our country was built upon, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”
