Press Freedom

Throw the Book at Pentagon Media?

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Article in The Guardian by Jefemy Barr, 4/9/26

Headline:  “US judge rules Pentagon has violated his order in press access case”

Subhead:  “Paul Friedman grants New York Times’s motion to force implementation of earlier ruling that gutted restrictive new policy”

“A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Pentagon has not complied with an order last month that undid much of a restrictive new press pass policy implemented by the Department of Defense, and ordered the return of credentials to seven New York Times reporters.

The newspaper, which sued the Trump administration in December, had urged the judge to compel implementation of his 20 March ruling after the Pentagon responded to the judge’s determination by creating a new press access policy, which the newspaper called an ‘end-run’ around the judge’s ruling. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/apr/09/pentagon-judge-press-access-case

Saving a Community Station

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Article in AP by Jonathan Landrum Jr., 4/9/26

Headline:  “Dave Chappelle helps keep Ohio radio station rooted in hometown with restored building”

“YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio (AP) — Comedian Dave Chappelle stood on the front lawn of a newly restored 19th-century schoolhouse Thursday, joining neighbors and local officials as a small-town radio station secured its future in the community he calls home.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked two historic moments: Chappelle’s restoration of the Union Schoolhouse and WYSO’s relocation of its new broadcast facility inside it, bringing together distinct efforts to keep the station rooted in Yellow Springs at a time when local media outlets face mounting challenges. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://apnews.com/article/dave-chappelle-radio-station-1297aeb70e20d61e5a46481f0b660332

Reporters Ask For Facts!?

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Article in Mediaite by Sarah Rumpf, 4/6/26

Headline: “NYT Fires Back After Trump Berates Reporter: ‘Pattern of Answering Fair Questions with Inaccurate Attacks’ “

“The New York Times fired back at President Donald Trump after he berated one of their reporters during a press conference on Monday, calling it part of a “pattern of answering fair questions with inaccurate attacks.”

The incident in question occurred during a press briefing the president held to discuss the latest developments in Iran. Times Zolan Kanno-Youngs asked Trump about a Truth Social post he wrote early on Easter Sunday morning with a profanity-laced demand for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants if the strait stayed closed. . .”

Read the full article:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/nyt-fires-back-after-trump-berates-reporter-pattern-of-answering-fair-questions-with-inaccurate-attacks/

Coming for the Journalists?

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 4/6/26

Headline:  “Trump threatens to jail journalist to find source of second missing airman report”

Subhead:  “Trump targets media to find ‘leaker’ who revealed that a US airman was missing after being shot down by Iranian forces”

“Donald Trump threatened to jail a journalist – or journalists – who reported that a second US airman was missing after being shot down by Iran on Friday in an effort to identify their source. . .”

“During a press conference at the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump told reporters that his government was aggressively pursuing the “leaker” who revealed information about the missing airman to the media. He claimed that the news report put Iran on notice and put the airman in danger. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/06/trump-threats-journalist-missing-airman-iran

Reporters Enjoy New DOD Press Room

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L. Nagy, 4/2/26

Headline:  “Pushed Out. Reinstated. Pushed Out Again.”

Subhead:  “Last week, New York Times reporters were supposed to return to the Pentagon’s corridors. Instead, the entire press corps was banished to an annex, and the Times is back in court.”

“Ordered to let journalists back in, the Pentagon instead banished them to an annex on the far side of its parking lot. A Pentagon reporter called that ‘an elaborate troll.’ Another told me it was ‘a bullshit move.’ ‘How weird is that?’ Paul Friedman, a United States District judge, remarked at a hearing on Monday. ‘Is it Catch-22? Is it Kafka?’. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/new-york-times-pentagon-kicked-removed-reinstated-hegseth-department-war-credentials.php

Here Comes the Judge

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Article in The Guardian by Jer3emy Barr, 3/24/26

Headline:  “New York Times accuses Pentagon of defying judge’s press access order”

Subhead:  “DoD announces ‘interim’ policy for journalists decried by newspaper as ‘end-run around the court’s ruling’ “

“The New York Times on Tuesday accused the Pentagon of disobeying a judge’s ruling that undid much of the restrictive agreement journalists were forced to sign or lose access to the building.

The judge, Paul Friedman, granted an injunction on Friday that overturned much of the language in the ‘media in-brief’ document that had so concerned many news organizations that cover the Pentagon that almost all journalists chose instead to give back their press badges. He also ordered that seven journalists from the Times be returned their badges.

Instead of complying with the judge’s order, the Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on Monday night that the department would permanently close a designated work space for journalists known as ‘correspondents’ corridor’ and create a ‘new and improved press workspace’ in an annexed facility outside the building. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/24/pentagon-correspondents-press-restrictions

RSF Saving Public Media

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Article in Reporters Without Frontiers by Staff, 3/23/26

Headline:  “USA: RSF and allies file second lawsuit to save public broadcaster VOA“

“Following courtroom victories in a first legal case to save Voice of America (VOA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined a second lawsuit against the Trump administration to protect the international public broadcaster’s journalism. RSF’s first lawsuit established that the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle VOA and its parent organization, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), was illegal. This second case intends to protect VOA’s legally mandated editorial independence and prevent Trump from turning it into a propaganda outlet. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-rsf-and-allies-file-second-lawsuit-save-public-broadcaster-voa

Journalists Cover Which War?

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Article in FAIR by Pete Tucker, 2/20/26

Headline:  “Pete Hegseth’s War on Journalists (and Iran Too)”

Subhead:  ” ‘Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be in the midst of two conflicts, one…in Iran, and the other with the American free press over its coverage of the widening Middle East war.’ – MS NOW‘s Sydney Carruth (3/13/26)”

“Last fall, nearly the entire Pentagon press corps was banned from the Pentagon after refusing to sign Pete Hegseth’s loyalty oath, which would have bound them to only report information “authorized” by the government (FAIR.org, 9/23/25). They were quickly replaced by pundits from Hegseth-approved outlets like One America News, Gateway Pundit and Lindell TV, which is ‘Pillow Guy’ Mike Lindell’s pet project.

“But once the Iran War got underway, it dawned on Hegseth that a Defense secretary needs to communicate with the whole country, not just the narrow slice of it reached by his favorite right-wing pundits. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://fair.org/home/pete-hegseths-war-on-journalists-and-iran-too/

News Restored in Pentagon

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Article in Reuters by Jack Queesn, 2/20/26

Headline:  “Pentagon’s limits on press access unconstitutional, US judge rules”

“. . .A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s restrictive Pentagon press access policy, which threatens journalists with being branded security risks ​if they seek information not authorized for public release.

“The lawsuit by the New York Times in Washington, D.C., federal court alleged that policy changes ‌by the Defense Department last year gave it free rein to freeze out reporters and news outlets over coverage the department did not like, in violation of the Constitution’s protections for free speech and due process. The government disputed that characterization and said the policy is reasonable and necessary for national security. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-blocks-restrictive-pentagon-press-access-policy-2026-03-20/

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Article in New York Times by Erik Wemple

Headline:  “Judge Rules Pentagon Restrictions on Press Are Unconstitutional”

“A federal judge tossed parts of the Pentagon’s restrictions on news outlets, saying they violated the First Amendment, in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times”

“A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Pentagon’s restrictions on news outlets violate the First Amendment and issued an order tossing parts of the department’s policy, handing a victory to The New York Times, which filed suit in December over the restrictions.

Judge Paul Friedman, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also ordered the Pentagon to restore the press passes of seven journalists for The Times. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/business/media/pentagon-press-restrictions-new-york-times.html

Storm Over VOA Done?

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Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 2/19/26

Headline: “USA: Victory for RSF and VOA journalists as court orders VOA back to work”

“A federal judge has ruled that employees of the international public broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) must return to work no later than Monday, March 23 and that broadcasting operations must be resumed. The ruling follows a major decision in a summary judgment the previous week that Kari Lake was unlawfully appointed by President Donald Trump as Acting CEO of the US Agency for Global Media, reversing the government’s attempt to dismantle the agency and the media outlets under its supervision, including VOA. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://rsf.org/en/usa-victory-rsf-and-voa-journalists-court-orders-voa-back-work