The New York Times sued the US Department of Defence and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Thursday in an effort to force the Pentagon to abandon its restrictive new press policy, the latest attempt by a US news organisation to reclaim access to government spaces.
The press policy, enacted last month, requires journalists to acknowledge that they could be branded security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types of unclassified information.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, also names chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
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At least 30 news organisations, including Fox News, The Washington Post and Reuters, chose to give up their press badges rather than sign the new policy, citing a threat to press freedoms and their ability to conduct independent newsgathering on the world’s most powerful military.
Policy violates right to free speech
In its complaint, the Times alleges that the policy violates the rights to free speech and due process and that, if allowed to stand, will “deprive the public of vital information about the United States military and its leadership”.