(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?
