Pentagon to issue new press credentials but remove media offices
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- The U.S. Defense Department will close the Pentagon's "Correspondents’ Corridor" and move media offices outside the building following a federal judge's ruling favoring The New York Times in a lawsuit over press access restrictions.
- The Pentagon Press Association condemned the move as a violation of the judge's ruling, emphasizing concerns over press freedoms during a critical time.
- The lawsuit challenged new Pentagon credentialing policies seen as limiting journalists' constitutional rights, with Judge Paul Friedman ruling that the policies constituted illegal viewpoint discrimination.
- The Pentagon stated it is appealing the ruling and cited security concerns as justification for the restrictions, while journalists have rejected these claims.
- Under the new rules, journalists will still access the Pentagon for press events but must be escorted, with many conservative outlets complying and others like The Associated Press continuing independent reporting.
