‘Without precedent’: News outlets reject Pentagon press policy

WASHINGTON- An extraordinary new Defense Department policy that equates basic reporting methods with criminal activity has sparked a revolt among Pentagon journalists that could leave the nation’s largest agency and the world’s largest military without a press corps.

The new policy, from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is a dramatic shift from the department’s historic standards, which previously required credentialed journalists to sign a simple, single-page document outlining security protocols.

That document was replaced by a 21-page agreement that warns journalists against “soliciting” information, including unclassified materials, without official Pentagon authorization, calling individuals who do so a “security risk.”

The policy would require journalists and media outlets to refrain from publishing any material not approved by the military — a blatant violation of the 1st Amendment’s free speech protections, media lawyers said.

Major news outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, as well as right-wing outlets like Newsmax and the Washington Times, have refused to sign the document, with only one far-right outlet – cable channel One American News – agreeing to do so.

The Los Angeles Times also won’t accept the policy, said Terry Tang, the paper’s editor-in-chief.

In a rare joint statement, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC said the policy “is unprecedented and threatens key journalistic protections.”

“We will continue to cover the United States military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press,” the media said.

But Hegseth, who has actively tracked leaks and sources of unfavorable information since the start of his turbulent tenure as secretary, has doubled down on his efforts in recent days, posting emojis on social media to say goodbye as media outlets released statements condemning the policy. Journalists were given a deadline of 2 p.m. PDT on Tuesday to sign the document or give up their credentials.

It’s unclear whether it will be viable for the Pentagon to maintain this policy, leaving the secretary without a roving press corps to highlight his official duties or public events. Nor is it clear whether President Trump approves of this extreme measure.

At a White House event Tuesday, Hegseth said the policy was “common sense” and that he was “proud” of it. He said credentials should not be given to journalists who try to get officials “to break the law by providing them with classified information.”

When asked last month whether the Pentagon should control what journalists gather and write, Trump said “no.”

“I don’t think so,” Trump said, adding, “There’s no stopping journalists.”

But Trump said Tuesday he understood why Hegseth was pushing for the new policy.

“I think he finds the press very destructive in terms of world peace and perhaps security for our nation,” Trump said. “The press is very dishonest.”

The widespread revolt prompted a show of solidarity from the White House Correspondents’ Association and the State Department, which on Monday called the Pentagon’s policy an attack on press freedom.

“Access inside the Pentagon has never been about convenience for journalists,” the statement said. “The public has a right to know how the government manages the people’s affairs. Unfettered reporting on the U.S. military and its civilian leaders serves service members, veterans, their families and all Americans.”

Beyond the restrictions imposed on the media, the Pentagon has taken a series of measures this year to try to identify officials deemed disloyal or who provide information to journalists.

In April, the Pentagon fired three senior officials after an investigation into potential leaks related to military operational plans. That same month, Hegseth’s team began subjecting officials to random polygraph tests, a practice that was temporarily halted after the White House intervened. according to the Washington Post.

Then, in October, the Pentagon developed plans to renew the use of polygraphs and require thousands of personnel to sign strict nondisclosure agreements that would “prohibit the release of nonpublic information without approval or through a defined process.” The nondisclosure agreements contain language similar to what journalists are being asked to sign by Tuesday.

Notably, many of Hegseth’s plans to target leaks were leaked to the media, likely helping to fuel the Defense Secretary’s suspicions about who he can trust.

The timing of his efforts is also notable, as they gained traction after he personally shared sensitive details about upcoming strikes in Yemen in a private Signal group chat that mistakenly included an Atlantic reporter. Hegseth also shared information about the attacks in a separate Signal conversation involving his wife, a former Fox News producer who is not a Department of Defense employee.

Hegseth denied that classified information was shared in the chat. Still, the situation led to an internal review into whether the disclosures constituted a violation of Defense Department policies.

The Pentagon has taken an even more aggressive approach to restricting journalists’ access than the White House, which several months ago took control of the press operations of the White House Correspondents Assn. – an independent group that had organized the White House press corps for decades.

Yet the White House stopped short of changing the briefing room plan, expelling media from workspaces within the White House complex or revoking press passes, after facing a legal challenge over an attempt to ban a major media outlet — the Associated Press — from covering certain presidential events early in Trump’s second term.

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to target individual media outlets he doesn’t like. On Tuesday, for example, the president refused to answer questions from ABC News because he said he didn’t like the way a news anchor had treated Vice President JD Vance.

“You are ABC Fake News,” Trump said during a public appearance at the White House. “I don’t answer questions from ABC Fake News!”