The Trump administration 2 – press freedom 1. The Pentagon will once again be able to screen journalists according to its will. A decision made on Monday by a panel of three judges from a federal appeals court partially suspends the court decision that had prohibited the U.S. Department of Defense, renamed to the “Ministry of War,” from practicing discriminatory policy regarding press access.
Last September, Pete Hegseth’s office had demanded that journalists wanting to visit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, sign a document informing them that their access to this crucial location could be revoked if it was “reasonably established that they represent a risk to security or safety.” Considered were, in addition to “unauthorized access” or being unescorted, the “unauthorized disclosure” of information that could be “sensitive,” even if not classified.
This was a way for the Trump administration to block criticism. In the vast and labyrinthine headquarters of the American defense, thousands of officials work, some of whom are capable of speaking to the press outside the prevailing and always victorious line set by the White House. The New York Times had challenged this rule in court and won last March.
But the judges of the federal appeals court in Washington, by a vote of two to one, believed there could be a correlation between journalists’ unaccompanied access to buildings and alleged leaks of “sensitive or classified information.” “The department has thus supported its claim that this aspect of its policy serves important national security interests,” it is written in the court order.
The judges noted that the obligation for journalists to accept certain access conditions, potentially limiting the questions they ask and, therefore, the subjects they cover, could have an impact on information gathering. “This obligation extends beyond the press itself, affecting the public interest in the free flow of information on government operations,” they wrote.
“Operational plans” were disclosed
Judges Justin Walker, appointed by Donald Trump, and Brad Garcia, appointed by Joe Biden, sided with the Department of Defense. On the other hand, Judge Michelle Childs, appointed by Joe Biden, expressed her dissent. Their decision applies until another jurisdiction, the Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, rules on the merits.
The Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, reacted positively to this authorization, stating that “while many in the media have said otherwise, the Department’s policy has never aimed to limit journalism, it is about protecting classified information that protects American lives.”
He claims that “operational plans” were disclosed through the press, without mentioning that the main leaks came from Pete Hegseth himself. Last year, the American magazine The Atlantic published the U.S. military’s attack plan against the Houthis in Yemen.
Through the encrypted messaging app Signal, its editor-in-chief had been the accidental recipient of screenshots of the minister with precise schedules of planned strikes.
