The Military Reporters and Editors Board applauds the district court ruling that the Pentagon must return press access to media outlets.
The decision makes clear that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s team was attempting to circumvent the court’s initial order by shutting down the Correspondents’ Corridor in the Pentagon rather than allowing reporters back into the building. As the judge wrote, attempts to “control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see” violate the First Amendment of the Constitution that our service members swore to protect.
We are at war, with our president warning of attacks on Iran that will be “bigger, better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before” should a ceasefire not hold. The public needs media access returned to the press now, without delay. Enough with the pettiness. Access for a free press matters. The rule of law matters.