Elham Asaad Buaras
In a stand for press freedom, dozens of Pentagon journalists turned in their badges on October 15, rejecting new restrictions they said would hinder their work.
The exodus came at a 4 pm deadline set by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after news outlets rejected his new rules. The rules threatened expulsion for reporting any information not pre-approved by Hegseth’s office.
As the deadline neared, reporters dismantled newsrooms, carrying their belongings through Pentagon corridors to the car park. In a coordinated show of solidarity, between 40 and 50 journalists exited the building together after surrendering their credentials.
“It’s sad, but I’m proud we stuck together,” said Nancy Youssef of The Atlantic, a Pentagon reporter since 2007. For her, the core principle was non-negotiable: “To agree to not solicit information is to agree to not be a journalist. Our whole goal is soliciting information.”
The Trump administration has defended the policy. President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House on October 14, backed his defence secretary, stating, “I think he finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace. The press is very dishonest.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, called the rules “common sense,” saying signing the document only acknowledges, not agrees to, the terms.
The move has been criticised from within military circles. Jack Keane, a retired US Army general and Fox News analyst, commented on the network, “What they’re really doing, they want to spoon-feed information to the journalist, and that would be their story. That’s not journalism.”
Despite leaving the Pentagon, news outlets vowed to continue robust military coverage. Reporters emphasised their commitment on social media as they departed. Heather Mongilio of USNINews wrote, “The reporting will continue.”
The protest united outlets from The New York Times to Fox News and Newsmax. The Pentagon PA, representing 101 members from 56 news outlets, had spoken out forcefully against the rules.
The conservative One America News Network was the only outlet known to have agreed to the new terms.
The exodus marks a rare break between the press and the US military, raising questions about the public’s right to independent information.
Photo: The Washington press corps (Credit: Mike Strasser/West Point Public Affairs/Flickr)
