Protest against new rules as journalists leave Pentagon
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to introduce a new 21-page set of rules for journalists. But the press corps refuses and leaves the Pentagon almost en masse.
Washington (dpa) - In protest against new rules, the press corps of the US Department of Defence has almost completely left the Pentagon.
The background to this is the introduction of a 21-page catalogue of rules, according to unanimous reports in the US media. Only journalists from the pro-government broadcaster One America News were willing to accept the new rules and continue to have access to workplaces in the ministry, according to US media reports.
Fox News, a broadcaster with close ties to the Republican Party and for which Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth previously worked, has also refused to sign the new rules.
Widespread criticism
The directive has been widely criticised, particularly the provision that reporters can have their accreditation revoked if they publish information without the Pentagon's permission, even if that information is not classified.
Members of the Pentagon press corps had until 5 p.m. local time (11 p.m. CEST) on Tuesday to sign a commitment to comply. After the deadline passed, reporters had to surrender their accreditation cards and vacate their seats within 24 hours.
The major news channels CBS News, ABC News, CNN and NBC News have also refused to accept the guidelines issued by the Department of Defence – which the US government now refers to as the ‘Department of War’. The Pentagon's new requirements ‘restrict the ability of journalists to keep the nation and the world informed about important national security issues,’ the networks criticised in a joint statement with Fox News on Tuesday.