News outlets protest pentagon policy
Fox News has joined the other top news channels—ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC—in rebuffing new Pentagon guidelines that they contend would drastically limit journalists’ access to report on defence and national security matters.
The groups put out a joint statement Tuesday warning that the policy, one unveiled by Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, “would restrict journalists’ ability to inform the country and world about important national security issues.”
“The policy is unprecedented and threatens basic journalistic protections,” the statement read.
The move is a major blow to Hegseth, who was a Fox & Friends Weekend host before she became a member of the Trump administration.
Pentagon’s new journalist credentialing rules
The controversy emerged last month when Hegseth’s Department of Defence issued new journalist credentialing rules that applied to the Pentagon.
According to the guidelines proposed, the journalists would be required to vow not to request or release any information that had not first been cleared ahead of time for public dissemination — even if it was unclassified.
An internal memo, obtained by journalists, stated:
“Information needs to be cleared for public disclosure by an appropriate authorising official prior to its release, even if the information is unclassified.”
Reporters who did not agree to sign the pact would be refused press credentials, effectively cutting them off from the Pentagon.
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Broad media refusal
To date, all but a handful of the big news organisations have refused to sign the pact. Following Fox News and the big TV networks, other news organisations such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and POLITICO also refused to go along.
POLITICO issued its own statement asserting the new policy “abridges First Amendment protections and limits the ability to produce thoughtful and open reporting.”
The publication also said it would continue to report on the U.S. military “fairly and independently”.
The only news outlet to have publicly agreed to the Pentagon’s terms so far is Trump-friendly One America News Network (OANN).
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A broader crackdown on media access
The dispute follows a string of contentious moves by the Department of Defense in the early part of this year. The Pentagon, in an unpopular decision, cancelled office space for many major news outfits, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and POLITICO.
The new restrictions have been viewed by most in the media as part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to limit press access to the federal government.
President Donald Trump defended Hegseth’s policy on Tuesday, telling the press that the Defence Secretary “finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace, and maybe security for our nation.”
“The press is very dishonest,” Trump declared.
Hegseth calls rules “commonsense”
Despite the backlash, Hegseth has stood his ground on the decision, referring to the new rules as “commonsense.”
“It used to be, Mr. President, that the press could roam wherever they wanted in the Pentagon, which is the most secretive corner of the world,” Hegseth said on a TV appearance. “If they enlist in the credentialing, they’re not going to attempt to get troops to disobey the law by giving them classified information.”
Hegseth has also brushed off criticism by online media, waving aside quotes from The Washington Post and The Atlantic with a handwaving emoji.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is under growing pressure from some of the most respected names in American journalism — and increasingly raised questions about just how far the administration will go in controlling the flow of information emerging out of within the U.S. military.
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