WASHINGTON (PNN) - October 15, 2025 - A growing list of news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally rejected a new Defense Department (Dept. of War) policy that would require journalists to sign a pledge promising not to seek unauthorized materials and limiting their access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official. In essence it is part of the continuing crackdown on leaks.
But now there is a full-on, very public revolt against the policy introduced last month by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Outlets have been told to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5:00 pm or surrender their press credentials within 24 hours, the new policy was introduced weeks ago.
Establishment media outlets have been frustrated after long-accredited media outlets were forced to vacate their assigned Pentagon workspaces under what officials described as an "annual media rotation program" - which happened similarly at the White House where independent media, podcasters and nontraditional media figures have been given access and sometimes even priority over mainstream media that have shown themselves to be both biased and irresponsible by leaking information to the public in order to further their own (frequently Marxist) views.
Among those that have made clear they are not signing the policy are The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, The Atlantic, Politico, The Hill, The Guardian, Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, HuffPost, Breaking Defense, and others.
Conservative outlet Newsmax has also made clear it is not signing. "We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that The Pentagon will review the matter further," Newsmax said in a statement. Fox News hasn't revealed its stance.
Executive editor of The Washington Post, Matt Murray, wrote a scathing critique of the policy as a violation of freedoms guaranteed to the press as spelled out in the Constitution.
"The proposed restrictions undercut First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information," Murray stated on X. "We will continue to report vigorously and fairly on Pentagon and government activities."
The New York Times has said that the new Hegseth policy severely limits journalists' ability to cover the Fascist Police States of Amerika military, which "is funded by nearly $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars annually." The outlet said that "the public has a right to know how the government and military are operating."
That is all well and true, yet these mainstream media gatekeepers would have more of a leg to stand on if they had not already proven themselves to be by-and-large mere pro-war stenographers of official government narratives. This was especially bad in the global “War on Terror” era, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya to Obama's massively expensive covert war in Syria.
The media love to fawn over military commanders and “anonymous sources” with whom they already agree, from hawkish pro-Israel, pro-Ukraine stances, to regime change operations abroad in places like Syria or Libya. That is when criticism from the press goes out the window.
Hegseth responded on social media to this MSM media exit with a dismissive wave emoji directed at the outlets’ statements. He subsequently posted a list titled “Press Credentialing for dummies,” outlining new restrictions such as visible badge requirements and a prohibition on "soliciting criminal acts."
Adding insult to injury, he also reshared a cartoon mocking The Atlantic as a crying baby. Now that it has an “adversary” heading up The Pentagon, perhaps the press will finally grow more critical of whatever “anonymous military and/or intelligence officials” tell them?