A number of news organisations, including The Associated Press and The New York Times, are refusing to sign updated rules which stipulate that journalists will not obtain unauthorized material, nor enter parts of the Pentagon without an official. Several publications say the new rules, announced last month by Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, threaten the First Amendment right of journalists.
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists from a number of outlets who report on the Department of War, said the revamped rules create “unprecedented restrictions on our ability to report the news,” and that not agreeing to such terms would “end our historically-held access to the Pentagon.”
The Association continued that the new policy “conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press,” including suggestions that such activity would be illegal.
The updated press policy also places restrictions on obtaining press passes.
On Monday, several outlets confirmed that they would not be signing the updated rules. News organisations have been set a Tuesday deadline to agree to the new conditions.
“The proposed restrictions undercut First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information,” said Executive Editor of The Washington Post, Matt Murray. He added that journalists will continue to “vigorously and fairly report” on the Pentagon and policy across the Trump Administration.
Washington Bureau Chief for The New York Times, Richard Stevenson, said that the reform “threatens to punish them [journalists] for ordinary news gathering protected by the First Amendment,” in a statement. “The public has a right to know how the government and military are operating,” Stevenson added.
The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, said: “We fundamentally oppose the restrictions that the Trump Administration is imposing on journalists who are reporting on matters of defense and national security.”
For each of the statements above, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth replied with a waving hand emoji.
One X user replied to Hegseth’s wave: “Is this because they [The Atlantic] Can’t roam the Pentagon freely? Do they believe they deserve unrestricted access to a highly classified military installation under the First Amendment?” alongside an AI-generated image of a child crying, wearing a shirt that reads “Atlantic”. Hegseth replied: “Yes.”
Other organisations refusing to sign up include CNN, Reuters, HuffPost and a specialist military trade publication, Breaking Defense.
Earlier this year, Goldberg reported that he had mistakenly been added to a chat group on the messaging service Signal in which high ranking Trump officials, including Hegseth, were discussing sensitive military operation details.
When asked about the chat, Hegseth responded: “Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that.” Goldberg reported that Hegseth published specific details about a series of U.S. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Pentagon Press Association added in its statement last week that “every administration going back to Eisenhower – including the first Trump Administration – has allowed the same level of access. This press access has never precipitated the kind of national security crisis feared by the current leadership of the department.”
Hegseth’s team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by today (Tuesday) must hand in their press badges and have their desks cleared by the following day, The Associated Press had reported.
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