The newspaper New York Times He sued this Thursday United States War Department, to the Secretary of War, Pete Hegsethand the chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, for violating journalists’ constitutional rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of the press by imposing a set of new restrictions on information about the Army.
In the lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Washington, The Times argues that the War Department’s new policy violates the First Amendment. “It seeks to restrict journalists’ ability to do what journalists have always done: ask questions of government employees and gather information to report stories that take the public beyond official pronouncements.”
The new press policy, enacted last month, requires that journalists sign a 21-page form that establishes restrictions on journalistic activities, including requests for information for reports and consultations with Pentagon sources.
Journalists who do not comply They could lose their press credentials, and the Pentagon has given itself “full discretion” to apply the policy as it sees fit, the lawsuit states.
New York Times questions several provisions of this new policy, including one that empowers the Pentagon to consider a journalist a security risk. Such a determination could depend, among other considerations, on whether the journalist disclosed classified or unclassified information without authorization.
In its complaint, the Times alleges that this policy “violates the rights to free speech and due process” and that, if allowed to continue, “will deprive the public of vital information about the United States military and its leaders.”
“This policy is an attempt to exert control over information that the Government does not likein violation of the right of the free press to seek information under its First and Fifth Amendment rights protected by the Constitution,” New York Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement.
He New York Times requests a court order to suspend the application of these rules and to declare illegal the provisions that “affected the exercise of the rights protected by the First Amendment.”
Media exodus
At least 30 media outlets and agencies such as Fox News, Washington Post or Reuters decided to renounce their press credentials in October instead of signing the new policy, considering it a threatens freedom of the press and its ability to write independent news about the Army.
After this exodus from traditional media, the Pentagon assembled a new press group made up largely of pro-Trump media and individuals.
These include the activist Laura Loomer; LindellTV, a digital news site run by election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell; and James O’Keefe, who founded the right-wing group Project Veritas and now runs O’Keefe Media Group.
Last Tuesday, the Pentagon organized its first briefing with this group, during which press secretary Kingsley Wilson attacked the traditional press media that left.
“The American people don’t trust these propagandists because they stopped telling the truth,” Wilson told attendees.
Associated Press, antecedente
New York Times action follows a lawsuit filed in February by the Associated Press against three Trump advisers after the White House limited the news agency’s access to press meetings.
The Associated Press received this ‘punishment’ from the Trump Administration for continuing to use the name of Gulf of Mexico, instead of the Gulf of America established by a Trump executive order.
The agency denounced that these types of restrictions are a attempt to force the press to use the language used by the Administration, violating constitutional rights such as freedom of expression.