US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information | Trump administration

Several leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have publicly stated that they will not accept a new Defense Department policy that requires them to pledge not to obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.

The policy, introduced by defense secretary Pete Hegseth last month, was widely criticized by media outlets, which were asked to sign the pledge by 5pm on Tuesday or give them 24 hours to hand over their press credentials.

The move follows a shakeup in February, when long-established media outlets were required to vacate workspaces designated as an “annual media rotation program.” A similar plan was presented at the White House; Here some briefing rooms were given to podcasters and other representatives of non-traditional media.

On Monday, the Washington Post joined the New York Times, CNN, the Atlantic, the Guardian and the trade publication Breaking Defense in saying it would not sign the agreement.

Matt Murray, the Post’s editor-in-chief, said the policy violated constitutional guarantees of press freedom.

“The proposed restrictions undermine First Amendment protections by imposing unnecessary restrictions on the collection and publication of information.” Murray wrote “We will continue to report robustly and fairly on the policies and positions of the Pentagon and officials across the government,” he said in a statement published on X.

The Atlantic, which was involved in a dispute with Pentagon and White House officials earlier this year after editor Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to a group chat on Signal. in question He is “fundamentally” opposed to new restrictions.

The new policy “restricts how journalists report on the U.S. military, which is funded by nearly $1 trillion a year in taxpayer dollars.” A statement from the New York Times in question. “The public has a right to know how the government and military work,” wrote Times Washington bureau chief Richard Stevenson.

Hegseth responded to statements from the Atlantic, Post and Times on social media by posting a single farewell waving emoji.

Right-leaning media outlets also refused to sign the document. ‘Newsmax has no plans to sign the letter,’ network says New York Times reporter Erik Wemple. “We are working with other media organizations to resolve the situation. We believe the requirements are unnecessary and burdensome and hope the Pentagon will review the matter further.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell he told the Washington Post He said media organizations “decided to move the goalposts” and that the policy does not require reporters to agree, only to acknowledge that they understand.

Parnell said the request “caused journalists to literally throw a fit with victims crying online.” He added: “We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our soldiers and the national security of this country.”

Pentagon Press Association, which represents the press corps covering the Department of Defense. he said last week He said the revised policy, which aims to ban journalists from collecting information without permission as well as accessing it, appeared “designed to stifle press freedom and potentially expose us to investigation for simply doing our job.”

The PPA said the revised policy “conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the Department of Defense, warning against unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting that speech without express permission is a crime – which it clearly is not.”

The new rules were adopted by One America News, the far-right cable channel whose White House correspondent is frequently invited by the president to ask questions. Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, one of the channel’s hosts, in question The pro-Trump outlet is “happy to follow these reasonable conditions.”