Several news organizations are reportedly refusing to comply with new press rules at the Pentagon issued by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth dismissed the outcry from the outlets, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell accused reporters of a “full-blown meltdown” in a statement to Status. With a deadline of Tuesday to sign on to the new policy or surrender press credentials, networks and news outlets have essentially joined together in pushing back.
“The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Reuters and the Guardian, along with the trade publications Task & Purpose and Breaking Defense, said they were not signing either. Fox News, Hegseth’s former employer, has not yet said whether it would sign the pledge,” The Washington Post reported.
However, according to sources cited by Status’s Oliver Darcy, Fox News reportedly has “no plans to agree to the draconian rules.”
Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right. So, here is @DeptofWar press credentialing FOR DUMMIES:
✅ Press no longer roams free
✅ Press must wear visible badge
✅ Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts
DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 13, 2025
“Media across the ideological spectrum said they will not sign the Defense Department’s restrictive new press policy by Tuesday’s afternoon deadline. The Washington Post, the New York Times, the Associated Press and CNN said they wouldn’t sign, as did Newsmax and the Washington Times,” The Washington Post reported.
“The policy says reporters cannot obtain or solicit any information the Defense Department does not explicitly authorize. Any media representative who does not sign by 5 p.m. Tuesday has 24 hours to turn in their media credentials and clear out of the Pentagon facilities,” the report continued.
Given the leaks and anonymous sources that have previously compromised the Pentagon, many might find the new rules of conduct to be perfectly reasonable. But the press corps is having none of it.
Strong statement from the Pentagon Press Association, noting that most members on Wednesday will have their credentials confiscated by the Pentagon and won’t be given new ones because the reporters can’t and won’t “acknowledge a policy that gags Pentagon employees and threatens… pic.twitter.com/TBlDboXuJE
— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) October 13, 2025
“CNN has already said that its journalists will not accept the new restrictions. I’m told that Fox News, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN will issue a joint statement later today saying much the same thing,” CNN’s Brian Stelter, claimed in his Reliable Sources newsletter.
Many of the statements and posts by the media organizations were met with the same response from Hegseth: a waving goodbye emoji.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 13, 2025
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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