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“Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon [last] Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work… News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved by Hegseth for release.” AP News
The left opposes the new policy, arguing that the press plays a valuable role exposing military wrongdoing and mismanagement.
“Americans have every right to know how the department’s $1 trillion in taxpayer money is being spent. They have every right to know whether the version of events coming from top officials is true or simply spin. The Pentagon’s worrisome attempts to restrict reporters’ access are the latest evidence that oft-made promises of transparency by the Trump administration are empty. What this administration wants is an echo chamber. The Pentagon wants the American public and the world to hear only its version of events…
“Were it not for the press, the world may never have known about the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq or the truth about the Vietnam War. More recently, reporters have been asking necessary questions about the legality of US military strikes on vessels from Venezuela, revealing details that are at odds with the official administration line… Journalists who cover the Pentagon won’t be in the building, but their efforts to accurately cover it will remain undeterred and likely even more dogged.”
Nia-Malika Henderson, Bloomberg
“Journalists have walked the Pentagon’s halls since its opening in World War II. They could stake out Jim Mattis, a defense secretary in President Trump’s first term, when he picked up his clothes at an in-house dry cleaners and have an off-the-record chat as he walked back to his office, shirts slung over his shoulder. They might bump into the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at a Pentagon Starbucks and have a conversation that could turn into a story…
“Pentagon officials liked it because they could clock what the reporters were working on, and the reporters liked it because they could get tips. Mainstream news outlets have generally been careful, responsible, sometimes even overly deferential, about covering our military and handling sensitive information.”
Maureen Dowd, New York Times
“Hegseth has managed to ignite cross‑ideological media solidarity with his unprecedented attempt to silence journalists… The U.S. press corps stands virtually united in defiance of the former ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-host — even his former employer Fox News…
“Rather than marginalizing the press, Hegseth has amplified its critical role in public debate. Even as he restricts the media, his ultimatum and the public showdown have increased coverage of the Pentagon’s policies. In effect, Pete Hegseth has handed the press the mic. Only now, journalists hungry for scoops will rely even more on off‑the‑record sources, clandestine communications and external whistleblowers. The policy may discourage some, but it doesn’t extinguish the incentive to find cracks in the Pentagon’s wall.”
Sophia Tesfaye, Salon
The right is divided about the new policy.
The right is divided about the new policy.
“It is absolutely untrue to say that journalists could simply wander around the Pentagon, entering offices without approval, before these rules. It is absurd to suggest that journalists could sneak into any of the Pentagon’s many classified rooms… Hegseth’s rules are the equivalent of a hospital requiring doctors not to talk to patients, even if patients attempt to engage with them first. Both the patient’s health and society’s interest in medical understanding would suffer greatly from such an approach…
“What the defense secretary is really trying to do here is to shield his control over the most powerful organ of the U.S. government from uncomfortable media coverage. Hegseth wants the personal right to transmit classified information outside of authorized channels, as he plainly did during the ‘Signalgate’ saga, while obstructing journalists in their public interest reporting. There are few places involving more important concerns of public interest than the Pentagon.”
Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner
“Among the newsrooms that have refused to sign the revised policy are not just mainstream outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Associated Press, but also right-leaning organizations, including the Washington Times and Newsmax, whose founder, Chris Ruddy, is a longtime Trump ally…
“One can’t help but wonder whether the current department believes there should’ve been recriminations and access revocation for the journalists who uncovered that the Biden Defense Department lied in 2022 during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal when it claimed that it had eliminated several ISIS terrorists in a ‘righteous strike.’ In reality, the Biden DoD had incinerated an Afghan aid worker and nine members of his family, including seven children, and we know this only because reporters pursued the story like a dog with a bone.”
Becket Adams, National Review
Some argue, “Yes, there is some concern when the press is being limited from reporting on governmental activity, but there is a differing standard that applies to the military, and specifically our intelligence services… One of the primary concerns heard from the journos and their outlets is that they cannot abide the threat that their credentials might be pulled if they spread sensitive leaked intelligence. So their answer is to refuse to sign the new agreement, and thus forego their credentials voluntarily?!…
“The arguments have been mostly hollow, and the status in the end is not exactly a crippling result for the Pentagon officials. Yes, Secretary Hegseth wanted to have more control and limit the leaks from his department. The group's effort to storm off means you just gave him precisely what he intended.”
Brad Slager, RedState
“Journalists will continue to report on America's military establishment whether Hegseth and the rest of the Trump administration like it or not. In fact, increased separation between journalists and military officials is likely to reduce the administration's influence over what information is solicited and published. After all, it's easier to build relationships between people walking the same corridors than when they're on the other end of phone calls or FOIA requests…
“Greater distance could mean a higher likelihood that stories officials don't like will be published. That might be all for the best. I've criticized elite journalists in the past for being too close to government officials and for adopting their values and attitudes. Reporting functions better when it's not too entwined with its subjects.”
J.D. Tuccille, Reason
Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards in California. Again.
New York Times
