New York Times, AP, Newsmax among news outlets who say they won't sign
new Pentagon rules
[October 14, 2025]
By DAVID BAUDER
News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press
and the conservative Newsmax television network said Monday they will
not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making
it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the
Pentagon.
Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news
gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post, The
Atlantic and Reuters on Monday also publicly joined the group that says
it will not be signing. AP confirmed Monday afternoon that it would not
sign.
"Reuters is bound by its commitment to accurate, impartial and
independent news," the agency said in a statement. “We also steadfastly
believe in the press protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution, the
unrestricted flow of information and journalism that serves the public
interest without fear or favor. The Pentagon’s new restrictions erode
these fundamental values.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted by posting the Times' statement
on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters
who don't acknowledge the policy in writing by Tuesday must turn in
badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the
next day.
The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon
without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters
who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or
otherwise — that he has not approved for release.
Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President
Donald Trump’s administration, said that “we believe the requirements
are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the
matter further.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the rules establish “common
sense media procedures.”
“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that
they understand what our policy is,” Parnell said. “This has caused
reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand
by our policy because it's what's best for our troops and the national
security of this country.”
[to top of second column]
|
U.S. military senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump
speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in
Quantico, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Hegseth also reposted a question from a follower who asked, “Is this
because they can't roam the Pentagon freely? Do they believe they
deserve unrestricted access to a highly classified military
installation under the First Amendment?”
Hegseth answered, “yes.” Reporters say neither of those assertions
is true.
Pentagon reporters say signing the statement amounts to admitting
that reporting any information that hasn't been government-approved
is harming national security. “That's simply not true,” said David
Schulz, director of Yale University's Media Freedom & Information
Access Clinic.
Journalists have said they've long worn badges and don't access
classified areas, nor do they report information that risks putting
any Americans in harm's way.
“The Pentagon certainly has the right to make its own policies,
within the constraints of the law,” the Pentagon Press Association
said in a statement on Monday. “There is no need or justification,
however, for it to require reporters to affirm their understanding
of vague, likely unconstitutional policies as a precondition to
reporting from Pentagon facilities.”
Noting that taxpayers pay nearly $1 trillion annually to the U.S.
military, Times Washington bureau chief Richard Stevenson said “the
public has a right to know how the government and military are
operating.”
Trump has applied pressure on news organizations in several ways,
with ABC News and CBS News settling lawsuits related to their
coverage. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The New York Times
and Wall Street Journal and moved to choke off funding for
government-run services like the Voice of America and Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
