Judge Slams Pentagon for Blocking Reporters

0:00It's April 10th. This is Canada News today, powered by AI. A federal judge just slapped down the defense department again for blocking reporters from the Pentagon. U.S. District Judge Paul Freeman ruled Thursday that they're dodging his earlier order to fully restore access, especially after siding with the new. York Times for the second time in a month. He called their new escort only rules a sneaky way to keep journalists out unless supervised. The stems from his March 20th decision where he said the Pentagon's credential policy trashed free speech and due process rights. Friedman ordered them to reinstate badges for seven times reporters and made it clear that applies across the board to everyone covered. The Pentagon pushes back hard, with spokesperson Sean Parnell saying they've complied by tweaking the policy and plans to appeal. Meanwhile, the Times lawyer hailed it as a big win for the court's power and first amendment protections. The beef kicked off last October when reporters walked out over the initial rules, leading

1:00to the lawsuit in December. Now, the on-site press corps mostly consists of conservative outlets that signed on to the policy, while others like the Associated Press cover from, outside. Critics say it's all about weeding out unfriendly media and Friedman flat out labeled it viewpoint discrimination. As this legal battle heats up with appeals on the horizon, it spotlights the ongoing clash over press freedom at the heart of US military ops, reminding us why an independent watch on power matters now more than ever.