Pentagon Press Association bemoans ‘unprecedented message of intimidation’ from Hegseth’s new press rules

The Pentagon Press Association pushed back on Pete Hegseth’s upcoming restrictions on reporters covering the Department of Defense, stating that the defense secretary’s policy “conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation” as it suggests “it’s criminal to speak without express permission.”

The association’s statement on Wednesday comes days after it was reported that the Pentagon had relaxed its proposed press access rules following negotiations with national news agencies.

“Under the rules, journalists requiring credentials to the Pentagon will not need approval from the department before publishing articles with information not officially released,” the New York Times reported. “News organizations widely interpreted an earlier draft as requiring that approval, drawing their condemnation.”

Late last month, the Pentagon announced it was imposing severe new restrictions on journalists covering the department, requiring them to refrain from gathering any information that hadn’t already been authorized for release by the military. Any reporter who did not sign that pledge risked losing their press credentials.

“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do,” Hegseth fumed at the time. “The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home.”

The 17-page document, which appeared to be in response to Hegseth’s relentless complaints about leaks to the media, immediately sparked intense backlash from media organizations over its perceived attack on the free press.

“If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see,” National Press Club president Mike Balsamo said last month. “That should alarm every American.”

According to the new draft of the Pentagon’s press rules, “members of the news media are not required to submit their writings” to the department in advance of publication. At the same time, though, the draft outlines which journalists may be deemed “security risks” and could have their credentials pulled.

Additionally, the Pentagon is giving news organizations a week to review the policy and decide whether to sign, noting that failure to acknowledge it could result in their journalists being denied a press credential. It does state that a signature from a reporter would merely acknowledge the document, “even if I do not necessarily agree with such policies and procedures.”

Despite being described as a loosening of the previously proposed restrictions following good faith negotiations with the media, the revised rules were blasted by the group that represents journalists covering the Defense Department – which was recently rebranded as the Department of War by the Trump administration.

“Unfortunately, those negotiations have not been as successful as we hoped,” the Pentagon Press Association noted in a statement on Wednesday, adding that it had exhibited “caution with our public statements” as part of an effort to negotiate revisions to the rules.

“We acknowledge and appreciate that the Pentagon is no longer requiring reporters to express agreement with the new policy as a condition for obtaining press credentials,” the association stated. “But the Pentagon is still asking us to affirm our ‘understanding’ of policies that appear designed to stifle a free press and potentially expose us to prosecution for simply doing our jobs.”

Expressing concern that the document opens up the possibility of the department “revoking credentials for reporters who exercise their First Amendment rights by seeking information that hasn’t been pre-approved for formal release,” the group said this “conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission – which plainly, it is not.”

Status News founder Oliver Darcy, meanwhile, mockingly described the new press rules as Hegseth creating his own “safe space” within the department. “Hegseth, the former Fox News host who once endlessly mocked the idea of ‘safe spaces,’ is now constructing the largest one in Washington,” Darcy wrote this week. “It turns out he is a snowflake all along who seems quite triggered by reporting into what he is up to at the Pentagon.”

The association also stated that it was “surprised and disturbed to learn” that the Pentagon plans to relocate all news outlets from their dedicated workspaces, adding that, combined with the earlier restrictions imposed this year, “the changes will further isolate reporters.”

Pointing out that Pentagon journalists have always worn badges while in the halls of the building and have never been allowed in classified spaces, something that Hegseth has suggested is a problem, the “idea that reporters have been prowling in offices where they are not allowed is preposterous.”

Explaining that reporters have a “constitutional right to ask questions,” the press group insisted that every administration since Eisenhower has “allowed the same level of access” at the Pentagon.

“Limiting the media’s ability to report on the U.S. military fails to honor the American families who have entrusted their sons and daughters to serve in it, or the taxpayers responsible for giving the department hundreds of billions of dollars a year,” the statement concluded. “The American people deserve to know how their military is being run. They deserve more information from this administration, not less. We hope the Pentagon reconsiders.”

The searing statement from the press corps, however, will likely fall on deaf ears – especially based on Hegseth’s remarks over the weekend when asked by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy about the restrictions and whether he’d use polygraphs to stop press leaks.

“The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want,” the Fox morning host turned defense chief exclaimed. “We’re taking these things seriously. They can report; they just need to make sure they’re following the rules.”