(AURN News) — Dozens of television networks are refusing to sign the Pentagon’s new press policy. The Defense Department set a deadline for media outlets to agree to new rules that would allow the Pentagon to revoke credentials from reporters who publish information not cleared for release — even if that information is unclassified.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, says the rules protect national security. Journalists say they threaten the First Amendment.
More than 30 outlets across the political spectrum — including Fox News, CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, and Reuters — have joined in rejecting the policy. The Pentagon Press Association calls the move unconstitutional and says it undermines the public’s right to know how nearly $1 trillion in Defense spending is managed.
For the first time since 1943, Pentagon offices — once filled with reporters — are now being cleared out. America’s military will go on, but who will be there to hold power accountable?
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
