Forty to fifty journalists closed the doors of the Pentagon behind them on Wednesday at 5 p.m. local time. They don't expect a quick return. They surrendered their credentials and trudged to their cars with cardboard boxes, books, chairs, and photocopiers. They took everything they needed to report daily on the renamed War Department.
In this way, the journalists are protesting new press regulations from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has systematically restricted journalists' access to the Pentagon in recent months, by banning television stations from their permanent workspaces, closing the press room, and launching investigations into media leaks. Since September, he has wanted media outlets with permanent access to the Pentagon to sign a series of new guidelines that would further restrict reporting. For example, journalists would not be allowed to obtain information not explicitly approved by the Department of Defense. Violating these rules could be considered a crime and lead to expulsion from the Pentagon.
“Attack on the First Amendment”
“Access to the Pentagon is not a right, it’s a privilege,” Hegseth explained in a message on X. According to the minister, the press is “very disruptive” and it was therefore a matter of “common sense” to restrict access to information. Donald Trump also seemed to support him in this. “I think he believes the press is disrupting world peace,” the US president said on Tuesday at the White House.
So far, only the small, conservative One America News has explicitly confirmed its agreement to the guidelines. The White House's statements failed to convince even the pro-Trump Fox News, where Hegseth was formerly a host."They're basically trying to force-feed journalists information to tell their story. That's not journalism," Fox News analyst Jack Keane responded during a broadcast. The five largest news networks in the United States—CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox—signed a joint statement on Tuesday stating that the guidelines"threaten the fundamental principles of journalism."
The professional organization Military Reporters and Editors responded by calling it "an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment(of the Constitution, ed.)and the American people, who deserve accurate reporting on how the world's largest military is funded and managed with their tax dollars." A slew of newspapers, includingThe New York Timesand the British newspaper The Guardian, also indicated they would ignore the guidelines."It's sad, but I'm also very proud of the journalists who have remained united," said Nancy Youssef of The Atlantic, which also refused to comply.
Abuses
Journalists must now continue their work remotely, without daily, direct access to the ministry they report on. It remains to be seen what this means for reporting, but journalists fear they will be less able to write and will have more difficulty accessing the information they need to report new developments and potential abuses to viewers and readers.
Moreover, the guidelines—published by The New York Times—state that military personnel “may face serious consequences for disclosing classified information without proper authorization.” For example, Pentagon sources could be held “criminally liable” for sharing non-public information, thus deterring employees from speaking to journalists.
The job will certainly become more difficult, an anonymous Pentagon correspondent told The Guardian. “While I’d like to believe my military coverage will remain robust going forward, I worry about stories we’ll miss because we’re not regularly present and we’re not able to regularly talk to officials.” Others indicated they would deliberately spend less time on stories Hegseth wants to break to the press. Barbara Starr, a CNN correspondent at the Pentagon for decades who retired in 2022, said the department might come to regret the decision.
