Pentagon changes rules – throws out journalists

TT

Updated 07.14 | Published 05.37

 

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. Archive photo. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/TT

The US defense headquarters Pentagon is changing its press rules and throwing out journalists. According to the Pentagon, a new ruling means that journalists must be moved to be better controlled.

The so-called “correspondent corridor” where journalists worked is being moved to an annex outside the Pentagon, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on X.

This means that journalists need an escort if they are going to visit the Pentagon for press conferences and scheduled interviews.

According to Parnell, this weekend’s ruling – which invalidated the restrictions that the Pentagon introduced in October – prevents the department from sufficiently screening journalists for security risks.

The October rules meant that journalists were forced to sign a form with rules in order to be allowed to report from inside the Pentagon. But the court ruled that the rules were unconstitutional and were written to weed out “undesirable journalists.”

The department will appeal this weekend’s ruling.

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Pentagon Kicks Out Journalists Indefinitely

The US Department of Defense Pentagon is removing its press room for journalists, US media reports. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X that the so-called “correspondent corridor” – where journalists have worked for decades – will be removed. It will instead be moved to a nearby annex, but it is unclear when it will be put into use.

The announcement comes after a federal judge ruled in favor of the New York Times after they sued the department over the new press rules. Last fall, the Pentagon introduced a requirement that journalists sign forms with rules in order to report from inside the building. The judge agreed with the NYT that it violates the US Constitution’s rules on due process and freedom of expression.

The Pentagon will appeal the ruling, claiming that they can no longer control the journalists from a security perspective.