Pentagon to remove media offices after judge strikes down rules for reporters
The Defense Department says it will issue new press credentials but remove media offices from the Pentagon, after a judge ruled that the military's new rules to get access to the Pentagon were unconstitutional.
The Defense Department said Monday it will remove media outlets' office spaces from the Pentagon after a federal judge sided with The New York Times in a lawsuit challenging limits on reporters' access to the building.
An area of the Pentagon known as "Correspondents' Corridor" that reporters have used for decades to cover the U.S. military will close immediately, department spokesperson Sean Parnell said . Journalists will eventually be able to work from an "annex" outside the building, which he said "will be available when ready." He offered no details about how long that will take.
The New York Times quickly responded by arguing the decision violated the judge's order and was unconstitutional. Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement : "We will be going back to court."
The Pentagon Press Association called the policy a "clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week's ruling."
"At such a critical time, we ask why the Pentagon is choosing to restrict vital press freedoms that help inform all Americans," the group wrote in a statement, referring to the war with Iran and the recent U.S. operation in Venezuela.
The new policy is the latest dispute over press access during President Trump's administration, which has limited legacy media while boosting conservative outlets.