Most of the nation’s leading news organisations have announced they will not sign a policy that severely restricts journalists’ access to the Pentagon ahead of a Tuesday deadline set by the Trump administration. Outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Hill and NewsNation declined to sign the policy, which limits access for reporters credentialed to work in the massive Arlington, Va, building.
What new rules said?
The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release, The Hill reported.The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) stated last week that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and his department are attempting to “stifle a free press” with the new policy. The PPA criticised the policy for conveying “an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission — which plainly, it is not.” Only one media outlet, pro-Trump conservative network One America News, has agreed to sign the Pentagon’s new policy. Conservative cable channel Newsmax has refused to sign, describing the restrictions as “unnecessary.”
How Hegseth reacted over denial of news outlet
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by Tuesday must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.
Trump-US media not going hand to hand
This is not the first time when Trump administration barred the news outlet from entering the main building. Earlier, White House is barring all Associated Press journalists from accessing spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. The decision to limit AP’s access stems from its decision not to recognize the Trump administration’s name change from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on federal maps, websites and documents.And the news outlet which Pentagon barred is actually the one who doesn’t write so many good things about Trump or one can say “not” a pro Trump site.