US media outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon press access rules
Established US media are rejecting new Defense Department rules on press passes that they see as limiting journalists. Major outlets say the constitution is being violated. Defense Secretary Hegseth has dismissed the claims.
Washington (dpa) - A number of prominent US media outlets have refused to agree to a new Department of Defense press pass policy limiting what credentialed journalists can publish.
Journalists have until 5 pm (2100 GMT) on Tuesday to agree to the new guidelines, which were revised after a first draft stating that information "must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified" was met with significant backlash, according to US reports.
The Pentagon Press Association (PPA), which represents journalists covering the department, said in a statement circulated by US media that the updated rules still "appear designed to stifle a free press and potentially expose us to prosecution for simply doing our jobs."
Outlets say constitution violated
Outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic and CNN said they would not sign the Pentagon's revised policy, saying that it violates the US Constitution's First Amendment - which guarantees the right to free speech.
The Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, on Monday said: "The proposed restrictions undercut First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information."
The Atlantic's editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg on Monday said "the requirements violate our First Amendment rights, and the rights of Americans who seek to know how taxpayer-funded military resources and personnel are being deployed."
Richard Stevenson, the Times' Washington bureau chief, in a Friday statement said that the new policy "threatens to punish... [journalists] for ordinary news gathering protected by the First Amendment."
Hegseth defends new rules
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that all the new rules ask for is: "Press no longer roams free," "press must wear visible badge" and "credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts."
Hegseth responded with a hand-waving emoji to statements by the Times, Post and The Atlantic.
Hegseth was criticized earlier this year for being part of a Signal group chat in which sensitive military plans regarding a March attack on the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen were discussed. Goldberg, who had been mistakenly added to one of the chats, said after the strikes took place that he was able to read live plans about the upcoming military action.
Hegseth came under additional pressure following reports that he had also shared information on the Yemen attack with his wife and brother in a separate Signal group chat.
Trump criticizes established media
US President Donald Trump has regularly criticized established media outlets, terming them "fake news media," and has cracked down on outlets that are critical of government policies.
The Associated Press, one of the most significant news agencies worldwide with a strong reputation in the United States and abroad, was excluded from the White House press pool for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," as ordered by Trump. The case continues in the courts.
Trump has made clear his preference for conservative outlets such as Fox News and cable channel Newsmax.
CNN on Monday cited Newsmax as saying that its reporters would not agree to the new Pentagon rules, saying "the requirements are unnecessary and onerous."