Questioning Power Isn’t Criminal: Pentagon Press Rules Face a Freedom-Defense Showdown

A federal judge struck down the Pentagon’s rules that could bar reporters from asking questions or seeking nonpublic information; the government plans to appeal and has issued revised language. The DOJ argued that soliciting non-public information can constitute a crime, a stance the piece describes as a dangerous First Amendment violation that would criminalize routine journalism, drawing parallels to cases in Laredo and the Assange/Natanson episodes, and warning this momentum signals an authoritarian tilt under the current administration. The article calls for renewed defense of independent journalism.