Pentagon reporters leave en masse after refusing to sign a new press policy
According to the Associated Press, around 50 journalists have left the Pentagon following a new security policy issued by the Department of Defense. The deadline for reporters to sign the new policy was Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. Almost every major news outlet has refused to sign.
Since 1943, there has been a permanent media presence at the Pentagon. However, under the new policy, that presence will no longer be at the Pentagon. The new policy restricts reporters from gathering or reporting information. Even unclassified information must be authorized by the government; noncompliance would be punished as a criminal act and would not be protected under the First Amendment, according to the Pentagon. Previously, members of the press had held building passes that let them enter the Pentagon to attend press briefings, meet with officials and talk with sources. But those who have not signed onto the new policy have had to give up their badges and leave the Pentagon.
Almost every major news organization has refused to sign the policy, with the list including ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Financial Times, Politico, and NPR, among others.
All of these organizations came together on Tuesday to make a joint statement condemning the policy and refusing to sign it. “Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,” the statement read. “The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections.”
Right-leaning news organizations, including Fox News, Washington Times and Newsmax, also backed the refusal to sign the policy. However, not every news organization has declined to sign the new policy.
One America News Network, a far-right news network founded in 2013 by businessman Robert Herring, backed Donald Trump during the 2016 elections and remains a staunch supporter of his administration. The network has faced multiple defamation lawsuits due to its reporting on the 2020 election, along with controversy for its spreading of conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Defense also announced a “new media” press corps that includes 60 people from various news organizations that represent a “a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote in a statement on X. Some of the signatories from this corps include Lindell TV, the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, Human Events, the National Pulse, and Turning Point USA. Influencer Tim Pool is also a member of this new corps and released a statement on X, “Our access is mostly for general inquiries and interviews,” Pool wrote. “Should a story, for some reason, end up in our laps that may put us at odds with the Pentagon’s press policy, we will always prioritize the public’s right to know and transparency. However, given that we are not investigative reporters, we don’t expect to find ourselves in these circumstances.”
A reporter for the website The Federalist, along with one from the Epoch Times newspaper and two from the cable network One America News, also agreed to sign the new policy.
“We look forward to eagerly covering the Pentagon, both on-site and from a distance, with the same fearlessness and courage and devotion to the truth that we have exhibited since we were created,” The Federalist’s CEO Sean Davis said on X. “And if the new guidelines result in fewer professional con artists and media hoaxers roaming the halls looking for new lies to peddle, so be it.”
The other signers of the policy include foreign-based publications, freelancers for foreign publications, and independent publishers who only post their work on social media. A list of some of them includes a Turkish reporter from Akşam, three reporters from the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency, three Turkish freelancers, The Australian, an Afghan freelancer, AWPS News, the India Globe and a blog called USA Journal Korea.
The Pentagon says 100 members from 57 different news outlets remain. However, not all are accredited members of the Pentagon Press Association. But the Pentagon said that the policy will stay, describing it as “common sense rules”. “The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote in a statement. “This has caused reporters to have a full-blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”
Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, also defended the policy.“It used to be, Mr. President, the press could go anywhere, pretty much anywhere in the Pentagon, the most classified area in the world, or also that, if they sign on to the credentialing, they're not going to try to get soldiers to break the law by giving classified information. So it's commonsense stuff,” Hegseth said.