Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: LEADING US news outlets have rejected a new Pentagon policy that bars journalists from the building unless they only report information that has been officially authorised by the Department of Defense.
Major outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, have said they will not agree to the new guidelines, citing concerns it could severely undermine press freedom. The BBC will not sign up to the new rules either.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has responded to the backlash from various news outlets on X with a handwaving emoji, suggesting a goodbye. The Trump administration argues that the changes are needed to protect national security.
“Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right,” Hegseth said on social media. “Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts.” A memo announcing the changes was sent to reporters last month, telling them that “information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorising official before it is released, even if it is unclassified”.
The Pentagon Press Association has said that most of its members “seem likely to hand over their badges rather than acknowledge a policy that gags Pentagon employees”.
More than 100 members have credentials to cover the Pentagon, and for decades reporters with identification badges had unrestricted access to non-classified areas of the building to visit officials.
The Associated Press, Reuters, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal and NPR are among the other prominent media organisations with a reporting presence at the Pentagon who have refused to sign the new guidelines.
