The lawsuit challenges October’s tightened access rules, accusing Hegseth and the Defense Department of undermining press freedom and enabling a handpicked “new Pentagon press corps”, according to a report
The New York Times has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Defence, challenging new Pentagon rules that sharply limit journalists’ access, according to a CNN report.
The suit, to be lodged in US District Court in Washington, names the Department of Defence, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell as defendants.
At the center of the dispute is a policy introduced in October that imposed new restrictions on reporters covering the Pentagon.
The rules were met with immediate resistance, prompting several veteran defence correspondents to surrender their press credentials rather than agree to the revised terms.
According to the report, the NYT complaint seeks to overturn the policy, arguing that the restrictions undermine press freedom and impede the public’s right to information about US military affairs.
“The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes, in violation of a free press’ right to seek information under their First and Fifth Amendment rights protected by the Constitution,” CNN quoted NYT spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander as saying.
“The Times intends to vigorously defend against the violation of these rights, just as we have long done throughout administrations opposed to scrutiny and accountability,” he added.
Attorneys for the NYT are seeking a declaration that the Pentagon’s new policy is unconstitutional on its face, along with an injunction preventing its enforcement.
Hegseth and his aides are expected to oppose the suit, relying on the same national security rationale they used to justify the restrictions introduced in October, reported CNN.
Industry groups and other critics contend that Hegseth’s true aim is to hinder independent reporting and shield the Trump administration from scrutiny, added the report.
Hegseth hosts pro-Trump content creators
Earlier this week, Hegseth hosted dozens of pro-Trump influencers and content creators at the Pentagon for orientation sessions and press briefings.
These creators — all of whom agreed to the restrictions at the center of the NYT’s lawsuit — have been promoted by Hegseth’s communications team as the “new Pentagon press corps,” despite their limited experience covering military affairs.
Veteran reporters who surrendered their Pentagon credentials in October continue covering the defence department from outside its walls.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has dismissed their departure, saying they “chose to self-deport” and “will not be missed.”
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson — who held no on-camera briefings when the traditional press corps was still present — conducted one Tuesday for the newly credentialed creators.
Reporters from the NYT, CNN and others requested access but were turned away.
The Pentagon Press Association, representing most of the journalists who rejected the new rules, said it is “encouraged” by the _NYT’_s decision to “step up and defend press freedom.”
The NYT emphasised that dozens of outlets, including conservative organisations such as Fox News and Newsmax, have joined in opposing the restrictions.
While NYT is the only outlet filing suit, attorneys say other newsrooms are preparing supportive briefs. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press announced Thursday that it will also back the challenge, reported CNN.
“The Pentagon’s press access policy is unlawful because it gives government officials unchecked power over who gets a credential and who doesn’t, something the First Amendment prohibits,” CNN quoted the committee’s vice president of policy, Gabe Rottman, as saying in a statement.
“The public needs independent journalism and the reporters who deliver it back in the Pentagon at a time of heightened scrutiny of the Department’s actions,” Rottman added.
With inputs from agencies
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