NYT, AP join outlets refusing Pentagon press rules; non-signers told to surrender badges by Tuesday
The New York Times and the Associated Press — along with outlets including The Washington Post, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, the Atlantic, the Guardian, Newsmax and the Washington Times — have declined to sign a Pentagon credentialing document that requires reporters to acknowledge they will not seek or publish information the department hasn’t authorized, and conditions access on signing the new policy. The Pentagon, which says the update is an overdue security measure and calls access a privilege, told non‑signers to surrender badges by Tuesday and clear workspaces the next day, while press groups and news organizations warn the rules are vague, intimidate journalists and could chill or even expose ordinary reporting to legal risk.
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📌 Key Facts
- Multiple major news organizations, including The New York Times and The Associated Press, have refused to sign the Pentagon’s new press-rules document; other outlets that declined include The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, NPR, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Newsmax and The Washington Times.
- Reporters were given a firm deadline — until 5 p.m. Tuesday — to decide whether to sign; the Pentagon told non-signers to surrender their badges by Tuesday and to vacate their assigned workspaces the following day.
- The rules stem from a Sept. 15 memo by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; revised rules shared this week would require reporters to sign or provide a written 'understanding' that they will not gather information the Department of Defense has not authorized for release, with loss of access (credential revocation) as the stated penalty.
- Rule specifics include new limits on movement (barring access to large areas without an escort) and explicit authority for the secretary to revoke access if a reporter seeks information from DoD personnel that is not pre‑approved for release.
- The Pentagon has clarified it is not requiring pre-publication review of stories, but says access to the Pentagon will remain contingent on signing the new understanding; senior Pentagon spokespeople framed the changes as overdue credentialing updates, 'common-sense' procedures and necessary for troop and national security, with comments that 'Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right.'
- Press and legal organizations — including the Pentagon Press Association, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Reuters — have sharply criticized the policy, calling it vague, intimidating, potentially unconstitutional, likely to erode press protections and an impediment to ordinary reporting; Yale scholar David Schulz warned signing would imply routine newsgathering harms national security.
- Pentagon communications (including posts by Hegseth and Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell) and reporting note the changes also include plans to move the press corps’ workspace, a step the Pentagon Press Association said would further isolate journalists.
📰 Sources (5)
News outlets including The New York Times and Newsmax say they won’t sign Pentagon rules document
New information:
- The New York Times and the Associated Press confirmed they will not sign the Pentagon’s media rules document.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted the Times’ statement on X with a hand‑waving emoji; his team told non‑signers to turn in badges by Tuesday and clear out workspaces the next day.
- New rule details: bars access to large areas without an escort and allows Hegseth to revoke access if a reporter asks anyone in DoD for information not pre‑approved for release.
- Reuters issued a statement citing press protections and warning the rules erode fundamental values; AP also confirmed refusal to sign.
- Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the rules 'common sense media procedures' and said they are 'what’s best for our troops and national security.'
- The Pentagon Press Association called the policies vague and likely unconstitutional; Yale’s David Schulz said signing implies ordinary reporting harms national security.
News outlets broadly reject Pentagon's new press rules
New information:
- Newsmax and the Washington Times joined major outlets in refusing to sign the Pentagon’s pledge.
- Multiple organizations issued on-record statements declining to sign, including the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Reuters.
- The Pentagon clarified last week that journalists won’t have to submit stories pre-publication, but access remains contingent on signing; non-signers risk credential revocation.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that 'Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right.'
- Reporters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to decide whether to sign the policy.
New Pentagon policy sends "message of intimidation," press group says
New information:
- Axios cites a Sept. 15 memo by Sec. Pete Hegseth and says revised rules shared Monday would require reporters to sign an 'express agreement' not to gather information the department hasn’t authorized for release, with loss of access as a penalty.
- The Pentagon Press Association warns the policy could expose reporters to prosecution and conveys a 'message of intimidation,' suggesting it implies speaking without permission could be criminal.
- Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X that DoD made an 'overdue' credentialing update to align with modern security standards and emphasized 'Access to the Pentagon is a privilege, not a right.'
Pentagon, journalists on collision course as restrictions on reporting loom
New information:
- Reporters face a deadline next week to sign a statement acknowledging the Pentagon's new press rules or risk losing credentials.
- Pentagon dropped the requirement that reporters 'agree' to the policy but now requires written 'understanding'; it says it can revoke credentials if reporters seek information from DoD personnel without prior official approval.
- The Pentagon Press Association says it was surprised to learn the department plans to move the press corps from its current workspace, warning it will further isolate journalists.
- The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press says it still has concerns and expects the policy will pose a significant impediment as outlets decide whether to sign.
- Hegseth, in a Fox News interview, defended escorts and movement limits and said, 'The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want.'