On October 15, a group of American journalists covering the activities of the U.S. Department of Defense left the Pentagon after losing their accreditation for refusing to accept new stringent access rules. This was reported by The Washington Post.
This occurred after they declined to agree to new restrictions on news gathering imposed by the Department of Defense.
The new rules, which prohibit journalists from requesting information not allowed by the government, forced journalists from The Washington Post and several other media outlets to surrender their press credentials and leave the building.
The Pentagon cited security concerns as the reason for the new regulations. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell emphasized that the rules, "set forth in a memorandum provided to accredited media operating at the Pentagon, affirm the standards already in effect at other military bases across the country".
"These are fundamental, sound rules designed to protect confidential information as well as national security and the safety of everyone working at the Pentagon," he stressed.
As the publication notes, negotiations with the Pentagon Press Association regarding the new policy led to some changes, but did not fully alleviate concerns among media representatives.
The PPA stated on Wednesday, October 15, that most of its members did not sign the new policy "due to its implicit threat of criminalizing reports about national security and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution".
"This is a sad day for those who support a free press. However, I am incredibly honored to be part of a press corps that stood together and is committed to defending our rights enshrined in the First Amendment," said Nancy A. Youssef, a staff reporter for Atlantic and longtime Pentagon correspondent.
Former Voice of America journalist Ostap Yarysh stated that CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, AP, Reuters, FOX News, Newsmax, The Washington Examiner, and The Daily Caller were among those affected by the restrictions.
According to him, the only media outlet that publicly accepted the new terms was the MAGA-aligned network One America News.
Yarysh stressed that the new Pentagon rules prohibit journalists from obtaining any information, even unclassified, from their sources without official approval from the department, restrict their movement within the building to only a few corridors, require them to constantly wear bright red badges in addition to regular ones, and "much more".
Background. In September, the Pentagon stated that journalists covering its activities must agree to report only on information directly provided.
These changes raised concerns among media lawyers. In a letter to the Pentagon dated September 22, the Committee to Protect Journalists argued that the rules contain ambiguous language regarding journalists' obligations, including a requirement to obtain government permission for articles containing even unclassified information.
Previously, the Pentagon Press Association (PPA) issued a strong statement accusing the Department of Defense of attempting to "suppress the free press" through the new accreditation policy. The new rules, initiated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, restrict journalists' access to the building and threaten the loss of accreditation for gathering information that has not been officially authorized for release, even if it is not classified.
On October 15, at least 30 media outlets refused to accept the new Pentagon rules regarding journalists' access to information, despite the risk of losing their Department of Defense accreditation.
