A federal judge on Tuesday denied New York City the right to obtain footage gathered by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns in research for his film about five men acquitted in a Central Park jogger rape case, according to The Associated Press.

Judge Ronald L. Ellis said the city failed to prove that its concern was important enough to overshadow the "precious rights of freedom of speech and the press" when it asked in the fall of 2012 to obtain outtakes and other materials from the film The Central Park Five. The unedited footage Burns wanted blocked from the city will stay blocked.

The city tried to argue that filmmakers Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, along with Florentine Films, were not independent journalists entitled to a reporter's privilege of investigation, according to the AP.

The ruling is connected to a $250 million federal lawsuit filed by five men against the city nine years ago after their sentences were dropped. A 28-year-old was attacked in 1989 and found in Central Park after being beaten and raped while jogging. She was in a coma for 12 days. The men accused of the crime were exonerated after a different man, already jailed for other crimes, confessed with DNA evidence supporting his claim.

Ellis said Florentine Films "established its independence in the making of the film."

City attorney Celeste Koeleveld said city lawyers are "disappointed" by the verdict.

"While journalistic privilege under the law is very important, we firmly believe it did not apply here. This film is a one-sided advocacy piece that depicts the plaintiffs' version of events as undisputed fact," the lawyer said. "It is our view that we should be able to view the complete interviews, not just those portions that the filmmakers chose to include."