THE NEW YORK TIMES: How the Pentagon is blocking out news organisations

It was a major moment for the coverage of the US military. Scores of journalists with access to the Pentagon handed in their press passes rather than sign on to new rules laid out by Defene Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The news organisations that have refused to agree to the rules include large organisations such as The New York Times, NBC News and Fox News, as well as many smaller publications that focus entirely on the military.

At least one news organisation, the conservative cable network One America News, has agreed to the new terms.

The new rules codify sharp limitations on access and raise the prospect of punishment — including revocation of credentials — for simply requesting information on matters of public interest.

Lawyers representing national news organisations had been negotiating for weeks with Pentagon officials over the strictures.

The new rules are a stark departure — in length and scope — from the previous guidelines the Pentagon required journalists to sign to obtain a press pass. Here are some of the differences.

The Old Rules

For many years before Hegseth became defence secretary, journalists needed to sign a one-page list to obtain a press pass, as well as agree to a background check and other security measures.

The New Rules

The Pentagon has framed the new restrictions, outlined in a memo, as an important step toward “preventing leaks that damage operational security and national security.”

Media outlets see an attempt to curb First Amendment protections and question the policy’s premise. “Our members did nothing to create this disturbing situation,” reads a statement from an association representing Pentagon reporters.

— Roving Reporters: Hegseth has expressed concerns about reporters walking unescorted in Pentagon corridors, according to people with knowledge of internal discussions.

— Access Privileges: While journalists do not have a constitutional right of access to government buildings like the Pentagon and the White House, case law has clarified that once the access has been granted, it cannot be withdrawn arbitrarily or without due process.

— Press Badges: New red-and-white badges will make for easy identification of journalists in the building. The previous badges were run-of-the-mill affairs with a subdued “PRESS” on the bottom edge.

— Escort Procedures: Summoning an escort to accompany a journalist to an interview or other engagement requires significant effort, with one correspondent calling it a “big ask.”

— A Clarification: Language in a draft of the new rules was widely interpreted as saying the department was requiring news organisations to seek preapproval from defense officials for their stories. A later clarification eliminates the ambiguity.

— Asking Questions: These new restrictions present a particularly troubling set of problems for Pentagon correspondents and their news organisations, because they target the language of journalistic inquiry.

Reporters ask for information all the time, and in many different ways. What is the difference, for example, between what the new policy calls “solicitation” and a journalist asking, “What’s going on in the secretary’s office?”

Tim Parlatore, a special adviser to Hegseth, said that the stricture applies only when the journalist “crosses the line” to asking defense officials “to violate these criminal statutes.”

— Agree to Disagree: An acknowledgment section was a subject of negotiation between media lawyers and the Pentagon. A previous draft of the new rules would have required journalists to initial a dozen specific points, whereas the revised version presents a global sign-off including a nod to industry misgivings about the restrictions.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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