US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
A series of actions have been taken under Pete Hegseth to restrict access to information from the Pentagon.
Several US and international news organizations on Tuesday refused to sign the new rules proposed by the Pentagon for media access.
At least 30 news outlets, including the New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, AFP and Fox News, rejected the Pentagon’s new media policy, saying that it violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech.
The Pentagon had warned that it would revoke press badges for news organizations that did not agree with the media access rules.
Why are news outlets objecting to the new policy?
Under the new policy, journalists have to acknowledge that they could be deemed security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types of unclassified information.
The new rules come after the Department of Defense has already restricted media access inside the Pentagon, forced some outlets to vacate offices in the building, and reduced the number of press briefings.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Monday: “The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is.”
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called the requirements “common sense,” adding that “we’re trying to make sure national security is respected.”
What are the news organizations saying?
The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) said, the media policy “gags Pentagon employees” by threatening retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release.
