A US federal judge ruled on Friday that the Pentagon’s media policy, which revoked the accreditation of several media organizations, is unconstitutional. According to the court, elements of these measures are illegal because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution, TASR reports, according to AFP and Reuters reports.
- The court ruled that the Pentagon’s media policy is unconstitutional.
- Revoking journalists’ accreditation violates the US Constitution.
- The Pentagon disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal.
- The New York Times sued the Pentagon for restricting press freedom.
In his ruling, Judge Paul Friedman said that while national security must be protected, it is crucial for the public to have access to information, especially in light of the recent US operation in Venezuela and the ongoing war in Iran.
“It is more important than ever that the public have access to information from different perspectives about what their government is doing, so that the public can support government policy if they want to support it; or protest if they want to protest,” the judge said. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on social media that the government disagrees with the court’s decision and will appeal against it.
They pointed to the violation of the constitution
The New York Times (NYT) filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon in December 2025, saying its new rules “violate the First Amendment and seek to limit the ability of journalists to do what journalists have always done – ask questions of government employees and gather information so that they can report to the public more than official statements.” According to them, editors can lose their accreditation if they do not follow them and publish something that has not been approved by Pentagon officials, the NYT revealed.
American and many international news agencies, including AFP, AP, Fox News and the NYT, refused to sign the new media rules in mid-October, losing their Pentagon accreditation. NYT spokesman Charlie Stadtlander says Friday’s verdict upholds the constitutionally protected rights of a free press and “reaffirms the right of The Times and other independent media outlets to continue to ask questions on behalf of the public.”
“Americans deserve to know how their government is run and what the military is doing on their behalf and with their taxes,” he said.
