The New York Times Takes the Pentagon to Court

As the US wages war on Iran, journalists’ fight for access enters a new phase.

On Monday, two days after the United States attacked Iran, Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense—or war, as he says—and Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a press conference in the Pentagon. It was only the fifth briefing in the building under the current administration, and the second since October, when Hegseth handed down reporting guidelines that barred credentialed Pentagon journalists from issuing callouts for national security tips or otherwise “soliciting information” not authorized for release, essentially banning routine newsgathering practices in return for a pass to access the building. Nearly every member of the Pentagon press corps refused to sign on to the new rules, leading to their exodus. They have since been replaced by a handpicked group of loyalists.