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 They have since been replaced by a handpicked group of loyalists.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
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