The US Department of Defense is now requiring accredited journalists to personally approve the publication of any information concerning them, classified or not, or they will lose access to the Pentagon, a change that a major journalism association has described as “an attack on independent journalism.”
The new requirements, which were announced to interested journalists on Friday night, are a new stage in the battle waged by Donald Trump and his administration against the traditional press, which they accuse of being unfriendly towards them.
Information originating from the Department of Defense “must be approved for release to the public by an official who will be responsible for approving it, and this before publication and even if the information is not classified,” the new document states.
The provision thus appears to include information collected by journalists through internal sources, in addition to official communication channels.
Failure to comply with this rule is explicitly stated as a reason for revoking accreditation.
“The Pentagon is now asking journalists to sign a commitment that they will not receive information, even if it is not classified, unless it has been expressly approved by the government,” the National Press Club of Washington summarized in a statement.
“This constitutes a direct attack on independent journalism, especially where an independent view matters most: the US military,” the text added, which was signed by the president of the association, Mike Balsamo, who asked the Pentagon to reconsider this requirement.
The US Department of Defense is now requiring accredited journalists to personally approve the publication of any information concerning them, classified or not, or they will lose access to the Pentagon, a change that a major journalism association has described as “an attack on independent journalism.”
The new requirements, which were announced to interested journalists on Friday night, are a new stage in the battle waged by Donald Trump and his administration against the traditional press, which they accuse of being unfriendly towards them.
Information originating from the Department of Defense “must be approved for release to the public by an official who will be responsible for approving it, and this before publication and even if the information is not classified,” the new document states.
The provision thus appears to include information gathered by journalists through internal sources, outside of official channels of communication.
Failure to comply with this rule is expressly stated to be grounds for revocation of accreditation.
“The Pentagon is now asking journalists to sign a commitment not to receive information, even if it is not classified, unless it has been expressly authorized by the government,” the National Press Club of Washington summarized in a statement.
“This constitutes a direct attack on independent journalism, especially where an independent view matters most: the US military,” added the text, which was signed by the president of the club, Mike Balsamo, who is asking the Pentagon to reconsider this requirement.
Pete Hegseth, head of the “War Department,” as the US president prefers to be called, defended yesterday another provision of this new accreditation form.
“The press is no longer allowed to roam the corridors of a facility that is on security alert. Wear your badge and follow the rules—or go home,” he wrote in X.
Since arriving at the Pentagon earlier this year, he has been stripping the offices of the major, rather progressive, media outlets in the Pentagon of their offices and giving them to media outlets that are more right-wing.
