Pentagon loosened its restrictions on the press after weeks of negotiations

The New York Times reported Monday that the War Department relaxed and clarified its new restrictions on press access to the Pentagon, after nearly three weeks of negotiations with different media outlets. The newspaper detailed that, according to the new rules, all those journalists who require accreditations to be able to enter the Pentagon will not have to be approved by the department before publishing articles or news content containing information that has not been officially released.

The Times also explained that numerous media outlets had misinterpreted a previous department draft as a requirement to obtain such approval, which generated strong criticism against President Donald Trump’s administration. As published by the newspaper, the new draft explains that "Members of the news media are not required to submit their writings," also detailing that the document clarifies certain rules under which journalists could have their accreditations revoked if these were to come to be considered "security risks."

The Times' news comes at a time when the relationship between the Trump administration and the press remains tense, following different episodes in which the president has criticized or lashed out at various media outlets. One of the most important moments took place when the Republican leader sued the Wall Street Journal last month, after the newspaper published several articles delving into the relationship between Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump explained that he made that decision after claiming that the news outlet was trying to smear his reputation.