The Pentagon just announced its shiny new press corps – and surprise – its mostly right-wing outlet’s that signed up for what amounts to a government-approved stenography program. Last week, dozens of credentialed Pentagon journalists turned in their badges after refusing to sign Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s restrictive new press policy. The policy requires reporters to pledge they won’t solicit or report any information – even unclassified information – that hasn’t been pre-approved by the government.
Now, over 60 journalists from what the Pentagon calls a broad spectrum of new media outlet’s have signed on, including Gateway Pundit, Turning Point USA, LindellTV (yes, the MyPillow guys network), Timcast, the National Pulse, and the Washington Reporter. Let me be clear about what just happened. This is the first time since the Eisenhower administration that major U. S. news outlet’s don’t have permanent access inside the Pentagon.
The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC – and yes, even Fox News – all refused to sign. That should tell you something. The policy essentially says reporters who solicit information that hasn’t been authorized for release may be deemed a security risk and have their credentials revoked. Think about that for a second. The entire job of journalism is asking questions and digging for information the government doesn’t want you to have.
This policy makes that job grounds for expulsion. Hegseth has been on a tear all year restricting press access. Earlier this year, he kicked out traditional outlet’s like The Washington Post and CNN from their Pentagon workspaces and replaced them with right-wing media like Breitbart and OAN. He also restricted reporters from moving freely through the Pentagon without an escort – something they’d been able to do for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
And just this week, Hegseth issued another memo requiring all Pentagon personnel – including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – to get approval before communicating with Congress or elected officials. So now he’s controlling not just what the press can report, but what lawmakers can know. As National Press Club President Mike Balsamo put it, 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. Hegseth’s response to all the criticism? He posted on social media that The press does not run the Pentagon – the people do, and told Fox News, The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want. We are taking these things seriously. They can report. They just have to make sure they are following rules. He also responded to several major outlet’s statements refusing to sign the policy with a waving goodbye emoji.
Real mature. Here’s what makes this particularly insidious: The Pentagon was embarrassed earlier this year when The Atlantics editor-in-chief was accidentally included in a Signal chat where Hegseth discussed plans for military strikes in Yemen. They were also embarrassed when The New York Times reported that Elon Musk was scheduled to get a briefing on U. S. military plans in case of war with China. So this whole restrictive policy appears to be less about national security and more about preventing embarrassing leaks.
The journalists who refused to sign aren’t going anywhere, by the way. Theyre still going to cover the Pentagon – they’ll just do it from outside the building. And as some press freedom advocates have pointed out, this separation might actually result in tougher, more independent coverage since reporters won’t be as closely entwined with their subjects. Meanwhile, the new media outlet’s that did sign up?
Theyre the same ones that have spent years providing favorable coverage of Trump and pushing conspiracy theories. Gateway Pundit has been sued multiple times for defamation. LindellTV is literally run by a guy who became famous for selling pillows and claiming the 2020 election was stolen. This is what state media looks like. Not the outlet’s refusing to sign – they’re the ones actually doing journalism.
The state media is the collection of friendly outlet’s willing to report only what the government approves. The Pentagon Press Association called this policy an effort that gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release. Theyre right. This isn’t about protecting classified information – there are already laws and rules for that.
This is about controlling the narrative. The Trump administration has made no secret of its hostility toward the press. But this takes it to a new level. When you can only report what the government tells you to report, you’re not a journalist anymore. Youre a propaganda arm. And before anyone comes at me with but the mainstream media is biased – yeah, no shit. Every outlet has biases. The difference is whether you’re willing to report information that might make your preferred politicians look bad.
The outlet’s that refused to sign have all publishe’d stories critical of both parties over the years. The ones that signed? Not so much. The American people deserve to know what their military is doing with their tax dollars. They deserve to know about policy failures, strategic blunders, and leadership problems. They deserve accountability. You don’t get that when the only press allowed in the building is the press willing to play by the governments rules.
This should concern everyone – regardless of political affiliation. Because once you establish the precedent that the Pentagon can control what gets reported about it, that precedent doesn’t go away when your preferred party takes power. The next administration will use the same playbook. And the one after that. The whole situation would be laughable if it werent so dangerous. Were watching the erosion of press freedom in real time, and half the country is cheering it on because they don’t like the mainstream media.