Defend the First Amendment — Reject the Pentagon’s Attack on a Free Press

I am writing as your constituent to demand your immediate and public opposition to the Pentagon’s newly reported policy requiring journalists to pledge not to report or obtain “unauthorized” information — even when unclassified. This policy, verified by The Associated Press, Reuters, and The Washington Post, is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and the most dangerous assault on press freedom in modern U.S. history. The Constitution is not ambiguous: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The Supreme Court has consistently struck down prior restraints on publication — most notably in Near v. Minnesota (1931) and the Pentagon Papers case, New York Times Co. v. United States (1971). Forcing reporters to pre-clear material with the government is textbook censorship, not security. This policy silences the free press, shields those in power from criticism, and violates the oath every public official takes to defend the Constitution. There is no lawful or moral justification for it. I am requesting a written response describing the concrete actions you are taking to: 1. Publicly denounce this policy; 2. Demand its immediate repeal; and 3. Affirm, through oversight or legislation, that no agency may condition journalistic access on content approval. If you refuse to oppose it, you are endorsing the end of free speech in the United States. There is no neutral position. Silence is complicity.