The New York Times newspaper, one of the largest in the United States, has filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon that seeks to overturn new rules limiting access to media outlets.
In the filing on Thursday, the newspaper said the rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violate the US Constitution’s First Amendment freedom of speech guarantees, as well as its due process provisions. They argue the rules give Hegseth the power to determine on his own whether a reporter should be banned.
Several outlets, including The New York Times, have left offices located inside the Pentagon instead of agreeing to the new rules, reshaping the press corps inside the building to include mostly outlets seen as friendly to the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes,” Charles Stadtlander, spokesman for the Times, said in a statement after the case was filed with the US District Court in Washington, DC.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the lawsuit.
News outlets have continued to report on the military from outside of the facility since October, breaking several stories in recent weeks, including a so-called double-tap strike on a boat in the Caribbean that experts say may constitute a war crime.
Still, the Times argues in the lawsuit that the denial of access restricts its reporters’ ability to do their jobs and will, in turn, “deprive the public of vital information about the United States military and its leadership”.
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