Most of the nation’s leading news organizations have said they will not sign a policy severely restricting 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 will not sign the policy, which limits access for reporters who are credentialed to work in the massive Arlington, Va., building.
The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) said in a forceful statement last week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his department are trying to “stifle a free press” with the new policy, which it said, “conveys 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 said it will sign the Pentagon’s new policy. Conservative cable channel Newsmax has said it will not sign, calling the restrictions “unnecessary.”
Hegseth mocked outlets that have said they will not sign the policy, posting emojis waving goodbye on social media in response to outlets the New York Times and The Atlantic, which both issued statements blasting the move.
“Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right,” Hegseth said in a post on X on Monday. “Press no longer roams free. Press must wear visible badge. Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts. DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every U.S military installation.”
Under Hegseth, The Pentagon has steadily restricted access and accommodations for journalists in the building. Earlier this year, the Pentagon made most of its hallways off limits to journalists without an official government escort, a departure from previous hard pass policies.
The new policy is being widely condemned by press freedom advocates and longtime Pentagon reporters, who argue the Trump administration is trying to shield the department from scrutiny and make life difficult for journalists covering matters of global importance.
“So now, how will the American people find out what is being done at the Pentagon in their name, with their hard-earned tax dollars, and more importantly, the decisions that may put their sons and daughters in harm’s way?” NPR’s Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman asked in a column, saying his outlet would not sign the new policy. “With no reporters able to ask questions, it seems the Pentagon leadership will continue to rely on slick social media posts, carefully orchestrated short videos and interviews with partisan commentators and podcasters. No one should think that’s good enough. ”
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, each of the major broadcast networks including Fox News issued a statement saying it would not sign the department’s policy.
“Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,” the statement read. “The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections.”
The outlets said they “will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press.”
Updated: 1:32 p.m.
