“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.”-George Orwell.
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Via NPR: Defense Secretary Hegseth requires new ‘pledge’ for reporters at the Pentagon.
The Pentagon will drastically change its rules for journalists who cover the Department of Defense, two U.S. officials who are not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to NPR Friday.
Going forward, journalists must sign a pledge not to gather any information, including unclassified reports, that hasn’t been authorized for release.
The Pentagon says those who fail to obey the new policy will lose their press credentials, cutting off access to the headquarters of the largest department in the U.S. Government.
It should be obvious, on its face, that having reporters sign pledges that dictate what they can report is a clear violation of the spirit and the letter of the First Amendment.
This is just another example of the authoritarian disrespect this administration has for free speech and the press in a week that has been replete with serious attacks on this foundational principle.
The pledge issue has not been officially announced. However, a series of other restrictions, including changes to preexisting access with the Pentagon, have been announced. Writing about new restrictions on physical access in the Pentagon, Hegseth tweeted the following.
On one level, yes, the press doesn’t run the Pentagon. Further, yes, the people do.
But one of the main ways in which we, the people, can understand what is being done in our name is via a free press.
I would also note that when singular political actors start proclaiming in very specific and restrictive ways that they are speaking for “the people,” I am put in the mind of various kinds of communist rule.
You know, “The People‘s Republic of China.”
When authoritarians pretend like they are speaking for “the people,” they most assuredly are using that phrase as a cover for their own power. Put another way, if a policy announcement is about how power or access is being restricted, it is antithetical to the notion that it is being done “for the people.”
Forcing reporters to sign pledges about what they will report on is not democratic. Rather, it is autocratic to the core.
And this is not just about wearing a credential. The story that Hegseth is linking includes what appears to me to be significant new restrictions on where reporters can go in the Pentagon, and therefore with whom they can speak.
ABC News reports this as follows: Hegseth unveils new restrictions on Pentagon press access.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday unveiled unprecedented new restrictions on building access for Pentagon reporters that prompted worries among media outlets that the policy would be used to crack down on independent reporting and limit the flow of information on military operations.
The sweeping new rules to access the building prohibit “unprofessional conduct that might serve to disrupt Pentagon operations,” as well as “attempts to improperly obtain” classified or unclassified information deemed “controlled,” according to a memo released to reporters.
Reporters who decline to agree to the terms or are found violating the rules would lose access to the building, the memo states.
The document sent to press outlets also notes: “DoW [Department of War] information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
To be clear: I understand that some areas and information should be restricted. But all of this is designed to control information in a manner that will decrease, not increase, access to information that American citizens are entitled to.
