Several US and international news organizations on Tuesday refused to sign the new rules proposed by the Pentagon for media access, rendering them without their press access credentials.
At least 30 news outlets, including the New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, AFP and Fox News, rejected the Pentagon's new media policy, saying that it violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech.
Why are news outlets objecting to the new policy?
The new policy was announced after the Department of Defense restricted media access inside the Pentagon, forced some outlets to vacate offices in the building, and reduced the number of press briefings.
Under the new policy, journalists have to acknowledge that they could be deemed security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types of unclassified information.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Monday: "The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is."
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called the requirements "common sense," adding that "we're trying to make sure national security is respected."
What are the news organizations saying?
The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) said, the media policy "gags Pentagon employees" by threatening retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release.
US TV networks ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC issued a joint statement saying they will not sign the new rules, which would "restrict journalists' ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues."
"The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. We will continue to cover the US military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press," the five networks said in a joint statement.
In addition to Fox News, other conservative outlets are also reportedly refusing to agree to the new policy, which could see a total of some 100 press passes revoked.
However, at least one news organization did sign the new policy: the far-right cable network One America News.
