The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the US Defense Department, arguing that the Pentagon's new press restrictions unlawfully limit journalists' First Amendment free speech rights, the paper announced Thursday.
The complaint, set to be submitted in federal district court in Washington, DC, challenges rules introduced in October requiring reporters who want access to the Pentagon to sign a 21-page agreement that places wide limits on newsgathering activities.
The purpose of the Pentagon policy is "to close the doors of the Pentagon — those areas that have historically been open to the press — to news organizations, like plaintiffs, that investigate and report without fear or favor about the actions of the department and its leadership," the newspaper said in the lawsuit.
The New York Times company also said in a statement that it "intends to vigorously defend against the violation of these rights, just as we have long done throughout administrations opposed to scrutiny and accountability."
It is seeking a court order barring enforcement of the policy and a declaration that its First Amendment-related provisions are unlawful, referring to the Constitution's guarantee of the right to free speech.
Pentagon officials defended the restrictions, saying access to military facilities is a regulated privilege and that the measures are designed to prevent leaks that could harm national security.
In an October statement, the Pentagon said the policy "is about preventing leaks that damage operational security and national security," calling it "common sense."
The new policy comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth comes under sharper criticism in several areas, including the killing of survivors at sea off the coast of Venezuela and a new report saying his opening a Signal chat to a journalist earlier this year could have endangered national security.
