Pentagon restrictions on press violate First Amendment, judge rules

The Department of Defense had required reporters to agree to certain rules on what information they could gather in order to maintain access to the Pentagon.

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District Judge Paul L Friedman ruled in favour of The New York Times, which had sued the department after it enacted strict controls limiting information reporters can gather and publish from the Pentagon.

Many media outlets - including CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, CNN, Fox News and BBC News - with a regular reporting presence had their access revoked.

The ruling halts parts of the policy, but kept some restrictions in place. The Pentagon said it disagreed with the ruling and would pursue an appeal.

The policy, which was implemented in October, required Pentagon reporters to sign a document agreeing that any information gathered must be approved before it is released, even if it is unclassified.