Fox News, NCS, ABC, NBC and CBS issued a joint assertion Tuesday refusing to signal the Pentagon’s new press coverage that calls for reporters acknowledge a new policy that will penalize those that solicit info from army officers.
The networks joined an inventory of reports retailers throughout the mediums of print, digital and tv — and ran the gamut of views — which have refused to comply with the brand new coverage forward of its 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, according to Status. The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Politico, the Hill, NewsNation, and Newsmax have all issued statements or indicated in current days they might not signal the coverage.
“Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,” the 5 networks stated in a press release. “The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. We will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press.”
The Pentagon didn’t reply to a direct request for remark, however its chief spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on Monday that retailers have been having “a full-blown meltdown” and “crying victim online.”
The assertion marks Fox News’ first rebuke of its former worker, Pete Hegseth, who spent years as a community anchor earlier than President Donald Trump picked him to steer the Department of Defense. Hegseth has repeatedly condemned the community’s Pentagon correspondent, Jennifer Griffin, since he took workplace, calling a report of hers in February “Fake News of the Day” and criticizing her throughout a June press convention.
“Jennifer, you’ve been about the worst — the one who misrepresents the most intentionally,” he informed her after she pressed him on U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear amenities.
Hegseth has tried to curb the regular stream of leaks which have emerged from the Defense Department, together with the deliberate use of polygraph checks and nondisclosure agreements, according to Reuters, in addition to the ouster of prime aides final spring following a leak investigation. The aides have since condemned Hegseth.
It additionally marks CBS News’ first public assertion on a authorities coverage underneath newly minted editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, the opinion journalist who took maintain of the newsroom final week.
The Pentagon has additionally labored to limit press entry, chopping workplace areas contained in the constructing for some retailers and limiting the place journalists can roam throughout the constructing. It additionally tried to limit reporters’ capability to report something not formally approved by the Pentagon, sparking an analogous outcry from reporters.
It mirrored the Trump administration’s personal animosity towards reporters and information retailers, whilst President Trump advised final month that the division’s restrictions may very well be ineffective in curbing journalists’ capability to interrupt tales.
“Nothing stops reporters,” Trump told a press gaggle.
The Pentagon Press Association rebuked the brand new coverage on Monday, saying its reporters have been “likely to hand over their badges rather than acknowledge a policy that gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release.”
“There is simply no need for this battle,” it added. “The Pentagon has no reason for the new acknowledgment other than to chill both reporters and their sources — something many of our members cannot abide.”
