Major newsrooms refuse Pentagon sign-or-lose press policy ahead of today’s deadline
Major news organizations — including the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Reuters, Newsmax and the Washington Times — have refused to sign the Pentagon’s revised credentialing policy, which requires reporters to acknowledge they will not gather information the Department hasn’t authorized and makes access contingent on compliance. Press groups say the rules send a “message of intimidation” and could expose journalists to prosecution, while the Pentagon defends the update as an overdue security alignment and warns access is a privilege; reporters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to sign or risk losing credentials.
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📌 Key Facts
- The Pentagon circulated revised rules that initially referenced an 'express agreement' (per a Sept. 15 memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth) that would bar reporters from gathering information the department hasn’t authorized, with loss of access as the stated penalty.
- The department later changed the language to require a written 'understanding' rather than an explicit 'agreement' but says it can revoke credentials if reporters seek information from DoD personnel without prior official approval.
- The Pentagon clarified journalists will not be required to submit stories for pre-publication review, but continued access to the Pentagon will remain contingent on signing the new policy; non-signers face possible credential revocation.
- Major news organizations have publicly declined to sign the pledge, including the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Reuters, and outlets such as Newsmax and the Washington Times.
- Reporters have a firm deadline to decide — until 5 p.m. Tuesday — whether to sign the policy or risk losing Pentagon credentials.
- Press groups and journalism advocates, including the Pentagon Press Association and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, warn the policy could convey a 'message of intimidation,' risk exposing reporters to legal jeopardy, further isolate the press corps (the Pentagon is planning to move their workspace), and pose a significant impediment to reporting.
- Pentagon officials defended the changes publicly: chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described the update as an 'overdue' credentialing alignment with modern security standards and both he and Secretary Hegseth emphasized that access to the Pentagon is a privilege; Hegseth also defended escort and movement limits in interviews.
📰 Sources (4)
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.'