A federal judge has blocked key portions of the Pentagon’s press access policy, siding with the New York Times and ruling that the Trump administration’s controversial policy was unconstitutional. News outlets including the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News and the Atlantic joined TV networks in refusing to sign. Of 56 news outlets in the Pentagon Press Association, only one agreed to sign onto the new policy. Friedman, in ruling against the Pentagon policy, said while national security “must be protected”, it is also imperative that the public stay informed. The policy change was criticized by journalism advocates, who called it another attack on the free press by Trump and his administration.

Source: New York Times March 21, 2026 04:59 UTC