Major news outlets refuse to cower down to Pentagon’s threat to press; CNN, Reuters, NYT to not sign paperwork amid Hegseth’s directive

Representatives for CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and NPR have all said that journalists from their newsrooms are not signing the new paperwork about Pentagon access, according to CNN.

In a surprising development, Newsmax, the pro-Trump cable channel and website, said Monday that its reporters have no plans to sign either. "We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon with review the matter further," Newsmax said in a statement, CNN reported.

The network is the first major pro-Trump outlet to publicly oppose the policy. Fox News, which is the country's largest pro-Trump media outlet by far, has not yet commented on the matter. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was a Fox News host for approximately a decade before joining the Trump administration.


Also read: News outlets criticize Pentagon's new restrictions on media coverage

What the policy requires

The Pentagon Press Association, a body that represents the beat reporters, says the new policy championed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release", according to CNN.

The association said Monday, October 13, that the Pentagon's new language "is particularly problematic because it demands reporters to express an 'understanding' that harm inevitably flows from the disclosure of unauthorized information, classified or not,something everyone involved knows to be untrue".

The policy requires reporters to wear visible badges and be escorted through many areas of the Pentagon building, including offices of senior officials.

Year-long restrictions

The Pentagon Press Association said Hegseth and other officials have been "systematically limiting access to information about the US military" all year long, CNN reported.

Officials have stopped holding routine news briefings; they have booted many news outlets from Pentagon workspaces; and severely limited where reporters can go inside the building without an escort.

Analysts have connected these impediments to Hegseth's well-documented disdain for the press and frustration with leaks.

First Amendment concerns

The association said Monday that "this effort has culminated" in the rollout of "vague new policies that, on their face, appear to violate the First Amendment", according to CNN.

Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray said Monday the restrictions are "unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information".

NPR editor in chief Thomas Evans said in a statement Monday that the dispute is ultimately about newsrooms striving to produce "trustworthy, independent journalism to the American public," free of government influence, CNN reported.

"We urge the Pentagon and the Administration to uphold freedom of the press and the American people's right to know what is done in their name," Evans said.

Also read: Pentagon risks wasting $800 million as Trump administration cancels two HR software projects

Hegseth's response

Hegseth has ridiculed some of the media concerns and embraced the dispute on social media. He claimed Monday that the new rules boiled down to three tenets: "Press no longer roams free," "press must wear visible badge," and "credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts." He also responded to several outlets' statements on social media with an emoji waving goodbye, according to CNN.

Beat reporters responded on X by saying Hegseth was misleading the public.

What happens next

Many news outlets stand to lose physical access to the Pentagon complex — something that has been a standard part of Washington-area news coverage for decades, CNN reported.

Editors and reporters say they'll continue to cover the US military thoroughly, with or without press credentials. Some well-known members of the Pentagon press corps have used the credentialing controversy to encourage tipsters to get in touch with them.

Also read: Freedom of the press or favor for Pete Hegseth? MAGA Pentagon reporter fired after scathing commentary

Some news outlets are said to be contemplating legal action, according to CNN.