March 21, 2026, 06:37March 21, 2026, 06:37
In the fight for press freedom in the USA, President Donald Trump’s government has suffered a legal defeat against critical reporting media such as the New York Times. A federal judge in the capital Washington declared the tightening of rules for journalists reporting six months ago by the Pentagon to be unconstitutional.
Especially in times of war, it is “more important than ever that the public receives information about what their government is doing – and from different perspectives,” said Judge Paul Friedman in his ruling, who cited the US military interventions in Venezuela and Iran as examples. A free press is important for all Americans so that they can “support government policies if they want to support them; can protest against it if they want to protest; and can decide who they want to vote for in the next election on the basis of comprehensive, complete and freely available information.
The Pentagon in Washington, USA. Image: keystone
The US Department of Defense, now called the War Department, immediately announced an appeal against the verdict.
Almost all major US media companies took a stand
The new guidelines, introduced in October, stipulated that the Pentagon could deny accreditation to reporters who publish information without the department’s approval, even if it was not previously classified. Journalists who did not agree to these requirements had to hand in their IDs and vacate their jobs in the Pentagon.
Almost all major US media companies took a stand: broadcasters such as ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox News as well as newspapers such as the New York Times refused to sign the Defense Ministry’s 21-page list of rules. According to the Washington Post, of what were once hundreds of accredited reporters, only a handful of predominantly right-wing reporters remained who were extremely sympathetic to Trump and his government policies.
The New York Times filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon, arguing that the new guidelines violated reporters’ constitutional rights. But journalists should not be prevented from “doing what journalists have always done: asking government employees questions and collecting information.” Reports from free media are not official announcements. The New York Times celebrated the judge’s ruling as confirmation of their right to “ask critical questions on behalf of the public.”
The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects, among other things, freedom of speech, religion and the press. In principle, Congress may not pass laws that restrict these freedoms.
“Multifaceted attacks on press freedom”
The “Freedom of the Press” foundation welcomed the lawsuit by the “New York Times” and appealed to other media to follow the example of the renowned newspaper. Trump’s administration stands for “multi-faceted attacks on press freedom” – and “an attack on the rights of one journalist is an attack on all,” the nonprofit organization said in October.
Since Trump took office, the Republican government has tried to restrict access to independent media with various measures. The composition of the so-called White House press pool was changed, meaning that agencies such as the Associated Press (AP), Reuters and Bloomberg lost their permanent positions. Instead, right-wing bloggers and social media influencers known as “new media” were admitted, from whom the government has little to fear critical questions at press conferences. Trump also sued various media outlets for high fines because of their reporting. (sda/dpa)