Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday derided media outlets that said their reporters would not sign the Pentagon’s restrictive new press policy, using a goodbye handwave emoji in responding to social media posts announcing their decisions.
The Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN and NPR have all said their journalists would not sign the new paperwork that says they will abide by or acknowledge they understand the new rules around Pentagon access. Many posted their statements on social media.
Hegseth responded to several such posts – including one made by The Atlantic, which said they “fundamentally oppose” the restrictions – with the goodbye emoji.
He responded in the same manner to a statement from The Washington Post, which said the policy undercuts First Amendment protections “by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information.”
And he used the same emoji above a post from The New York Times, which asserted the Pentagon’s rules threaten to punish journalists for “ordinary news gathering protected by the First Amendment.”
Hegseth has frequently displayed animosity towards the press, including media outlets as a whole and individual journalists, and has steadily restricted press access and accommodations in the Pentagon.
Despite his spokespeople frequently boasting about transparency, Hegseth’s office removed four outlets from their Pentagon workspaces in late January, replacing them with media outlets that have given favorable coverage to the Trump administration, including One America News Network and Breitbart News. When reporters complained to officials about the move, they removed four additional news outlets, including The Hill, from their desks.
The journalists removed from their desks were still allowed to work in the building, though Hegseth’s office also made it difficult by restricting reporters from accessing the Pentagon’s press briefing room – one of the few places in the building with wireless internet to use for filing stories.
In May, Hegseth banned journalists from most hallways of the Pentagon without an official escort. The decision was considered extreme, as reporters had had access throughout much of the building for decades without being monitored. Secure or restricted spaces have always been off-limits to the press without official permission.
Now with the new Pentagon press policy, journalists are technically not barred from investigating, reporting or publishing stories on the U.S. military using information deemed sensitive or unclassified, but they could be deemed “a security or safety risk” should they even ask DOD personnel for such information, according to a draft of the rules.
The Pentagon describes solicitation as including calls for tips, encouraging military personnel to share non-public information, as many reporters do via their publications or personal social media platforms, as routine Defense Department news briefings are nonexistent.
The Pentagon Press Association last week said Hegseth and other officials have been “systematically limiting access to information about the U.S. military” since the start of the year.
Even several right-leaning news organizations have balked at the policy, including the Washington Times and Newsmax, the latter of which has said it believes the requirements “are unnecessary and onerous,” and that its reporters won’t sign.
Beat reporters now have until Tuesday to sign the new rules or give up their press passes by Wednesday. Editors and journalists have said they will continue to cover the U.S. military even without press credentials.
