Media outlets ranging from The Atlantic to CNN to Newsmax have so far said that they do not plan for their correspondents to sign a new Pentagon press policy, arguing that it attempts to threaten access to the complex unless reporters agree to restrictions on how they have normally done their jobs.
The New York Times, The Washington Post and NPR also said that they would not sign.
A spokesperson for Newsmax said on Monday, “Newsmax has no plans to sign the letter. We are working in conjunction with other media outlets to resolve the situation. We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”
A spokesperson for CNN said, “We will not be deflected from our duty to hold all three fairly and fully to account, and we will continue to report on the actions and decision-making processes of the U.S. government without fear or favor.”
The Pentagon unveiled a new policy last month that required that information “be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.” The risk for news organizations that signed it was that their reporters could lose their credentials for access to the complex.
Journalism groups consulted with Pentagon press officials about changes to the policy, but even after the revisions, still found it too restrictive.
Last week, the Pentagon Press Association said that the policy still “leaves open the threat of the Department of Defense revoking credentials for reporters who exercise their First Amendment rights by seeking information that hasn’t been pre-approved for formal release, even when the information is entirely unclassified.”
The press association said that the policy also “conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission — which plainly, it’s not.” Some journalists argued that such activity as posting a call for tips on social media would run afoul of the rules.
Richard Stevenson, Washington bureau chief for The New York Times, said that the policy threatens to punish journalists “for ordinary news gathering protected by the First Amendment. Since the policy was first announced, we have expressed concerns that it constrains how journalists can report on the U.S. military, which is funded by $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars annually.”
Some outlets, like CBS News, NBC News and Fox News, have yet to say whether their reporters would sign the policy.
An outlet that is signing is One America News Network. “After thorough review of the revised press policy by our attorney, OAN staff has signed the document,” the network’s Charles Herring said in a statement.
Throughout the day on Monday, as a deadline approached for signing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has responded to news outlets announcing their refusal to sign with a hand “bye-bye” emoji.
He wrote, “Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right. So, here is @DeptofWar press credentialing FOR DUMMIES: Press no longer roams free. Press must wear visible badge. Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts. DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every U.S. military installation.”
But veterans of the Pentagon said that Hegseth is wrong, in that the press already has been displaying badges. nor did they have access to areas like classified spaces.
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, and Shaun Tandon, president of the State Department Correspondents’ Association, said in a joint statement, “Access inside the Pentagon has never been about convenience to reporters. The public has a right to know how the government is conducting the people’s business. Unfettered reporting on the U.S. military and its civilian leadership provides a service to those in uniform, veterans, their families and all Americans.”
