Secretary of War Pete Hegseth unveiled new rules Friday that will severely limit the ability of reporters to report from within the Pentagon outside established public affairs clearance channels. In the future, reporters will have limited access to the Pentagon without an official public affairs escort, they will have to display their press pass at all times, and, quelle horreur, "[p]ossessing confidential or unauthorized information, under the new rules, would be grounds for a journalist’s press pass to be revoked." This policy was foreshadowed back in May, when Secretary Hegseth imposed an array of press restrictions in the wake of some harmful leaks; see SecDef Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Put Press Corps on a Short Leash After Epidemic of Leaks.
Read the entire memo.
The ban on information covers not only classified national security information, or CNSI, but controlled unclassified information, or CUI. The latter category includes a mind-boggling array of categories.
As the Washington Post notes,
The vast majority of the Pentagon’s information has some level of sensitivity. For example, even the initial planning efforts for June’s parade marking the Army’s 250th anniversary — including how many tanks the Army would drive past President Donald Trump’s review stand — was initially categorized as “CUI,” or for “Controlled Unclassified Information,” which would be barred from public access under the new rules.
Most annoying will be the restriction on where reporters can work. In the past, reporters could go nearly everywhere in the Pentagon.
“Up until now, the press could wander all around the Pentagon with no oversight,” Parnell explained in May. “Even outside of sensitive/classified areas. So moving forward, they’ll need an escort to access those areas. They still have access to the entire defense press office, the press secretary & my office, as well as much of the rest of the building. These are pragmatic changes to protect operational security & ultimately brings the Pentagon in line with other government buildings.”
The media, naturally, are focusing on alleged restrictions on the press:
- Washington Post: Pentagon demands journalists pledge not to obtain unauthorized material
- NPR: Defense Secretary Hegseth requires new 'pledge' for Pentagon reporters
- Politico: Pentagon to limit journalists’ access unless they agree not to publish certain information
This is sort of misleading, as the rules pretty obviously apply to information obtained in the Pentagon. If someone wants to leak information, they surely can publish it.
Those leaks are where the real impact will be felt, not in Americans knowing less about their government. By limiting areas open to journalists and requiring their press passes to be visible at all times, it will be difficult for disgruntled civilians or military personnel to have face-to-face meetings. Limiting press access to a few selected areas also means they can't roam the halls, picking up snatches of conversations, or seeing stuff on desks.
As Secretary Hegseth said: "The 'press' does not run the Pentagon — the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home."
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