Defense department policy requires outlets to vow not to obtain unauthorized files and restricts access to some areas<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally said they will not agree to a new defense department policy that requires them to pledge they will not obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The policy, presented last month by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth<\/a>, has been widely criticized by media organizations asked to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5pm or have 24 hours to turn in their press credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move follows a shake-up in February in which long-credentialed media outlets were required to vacate assigned workspaces which was cast as an \u201cannual media rotation program\u201d. A similar plan was presented at the White House where some briefing room spots were given to podcasters and other representatives of non-traditional media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, the Washington Post<\/a> joined the New York Times, CNN, the Atlantic, the Guardian, Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, HuffPost and trade publication Breaking Defense in saying it would not sign on to the agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matt Murray, the Post\u2019s executive editor, said the policy runs counter to constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe proposed restrictions undercut First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information,\u201d Murray wrote<\/a> in a statement published on X. \u201cWe will continue to vigorously and fairly report on the policies and positions of the Pentagon and officials across the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Atlantic, which became embroiled in a dispute with Pentagon and White House officials earlier this year after editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat on Signal, said<\/a> it \u201cfundamentally\u201d opposes the new restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new policy \u201cconstrains how journalists can report on the U.S. military, which is funded by nearly $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars annually,\u201d a New York Times statement<\/a> said. \u201cThe public has a right to know how the government and military are operating,\u201d wrote the Times Washington bureau chief, Richard Stevenson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hegseth responded on social media to statements from the Atlantic, the Post and the Times by posting a single emoji of a hand waving goodbye. Later, the defense secretary, a former Fox weekend anchor, posted a list<\/a> on X of what he called \u201cpress credentialing FOR DUMMIES: Press no longer roams free Press must wear visible badge Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts\u201d. He also reposted a cartoon that depicted the Atlantic as a crying baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reuters also announced<\/a> on Monday that \u201cour journalists will not sign the revised press pass policy\u201d, calling the Pentagon\u2019s new restrictions an affront to \u201cthe press protections afforded by the US constitution, the unrestricted flow of information and journalism that serves the public interest without fear or favour\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n National Public Radio\u2019s editor-in-chief, Thomas Evans, said<\/a>: \u201cWe will not sign the administration\u2019s restrictive policy that asks reporters to undermine their commitment of providing trustworthy, independent journalism to the American public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe restrictions secretary Hegseth is attempting to place on the press are flatly unconstitutional,\u201d Whitney Snyder, HuffPost\u2019s editor-in-chief, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cHuffPost will not agree to a document clearly aimed at snuffing out actual news-gathering at the nation\u2019s largest and best-funded federal department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some righ-leaning outlets have also declined to sign the document. \u201cNewsmax has no plans to sign the letter,\u201d the network told the New York Times reporter Erik Wemple<\/a>. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Washington Post<\/a> that media outlets had \u201cdecided to move the goal post\u201d, saying that the policy doesn\u2019t require reporters to agree, but just acknowledge they understand it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parnell said that request had \u201ccaused reporters to have a full-blown meltdown, crying victim online.\u201d He added: \u201cWe stand by our policy because it\u2019s what\u2019s best for our troops and the national security of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pentagon Press Association, which represents the press corps covering the defense department, said last week<\/a> that a revised policy that seeks to prohibit journalists from soliciting unauthorized information in addition to accessing it, appeared to be \u201cdesigned to stifle a free press and potentially expose us to prosecution for simply doing our jobs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PPA noted that the revised policy \u201cconveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it\u2019s criminal to speak without express permission \u2013 which plainly, it is not\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new rules were accepted by the far-right cable channel One America News, whose White House correspondent is frequently invited by the president to ask him questions. One of the channel\u2019s hosts, former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, said<\/a> the pro-Trump outlet \u201cis happy to follow these reasonable conditions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n