'Direct attack:' Pentagon Press Association slams Hegseth for imposing restrictions on media

Journalists covering all the news about the US military called out the Pentagon and said that they are extremely concerned by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ’s constraints on press access at the Pentagon. They argued that the newest restrictions that were outlined on Friday night appeared to be a “direct attack on the freedom of the press and America’s right to know what its military is doing.”

According to CNN, the condemnation came from the Pentagon Press Association after Hegseth announced “additional credentialing procedures for press at the Pentagon in the interest of national security.” The changes were key parts of the Pentagon building off-limits to journalists unless they had an official escort.

According to a Pentagon memo, more restrictions are likely to be imposed in the coming weeks. The Department of Defence argued that these measures are being undertaken to protect the country’s military secrets. It is pertinent to note that the Friday announcement joined the list of measures taken by the US President Donald Trump’s administration.

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Former news anchor who switched sides

Hegseth himself was a former Fox News host, however, he has been distancing himself from his past soon after he took his role at the Department of Defence. As soon as Hegseth took charge, some of the country’s biggest news outlets were booted from their dedicated Pentagon workspaces. Not only this, Hegseth assailed his former colleague Jennifer Griffin (Fox’s national security correspondent) and other journalists.

The Pentagon argued that these measures are being taken under a “media rotation program”. Only smaller and explicitly pro-Trump news outlets have been getting inside access to the Trump administration. Pentagon eventually announced that the press briefing room would be closed “when not in use for public briefings.”

Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, a close friend of Hegseth’s, has only held one press briefing to date. On Friday, Parnell argued that the access restrictions are “pragmatic changes to protect operational security.”

The memo outlining the restrictions said that “while the department remains committed to transparency, the department is equally obligated to protect (classified intelligence) and sensitive information, the unauthorised disclosure of which could put the lives of US service members in danger.”

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Interestingly, in March Hegseth himself was accused of mishandling sensitive information , when he detailed the plans of US military operation in Yemen on a Signal group chat at accidentally included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

The Press Association condemn the view

According to CNN, the changes announced on Friday would make it more difficult for journalists to reach Hegseth. The restriction would “eliminate the media’s freedom to freely access press officers for the military services who are specifically hired to respond to press queries,” the Pentagon Press Association pointed out.

The association represents scores of journalists who regularly cover the military. In a statement, the group maintained that it has been trying to reach out to Hegseth and his aides “to keep in place a professional working relationship that has persisted for decades,” but to no avail.

The association maintained that it is “puzzled” about why the Defence Department “is devoting such attention to restricting Pentagon media instead of engaging with it as senior leaders have long done.” In the past, hegseth has denounced the media bu calling them “hoax press” and promoted himself by appearing on Fox opinion shows hosted by his friends.

Not only this, he enlisted right-wing content creators to increase the Defence Department’s promotional efforts on social media. Mike Balsamo, the president of the National Press Club, said independent coverage of the military is in everyone’s interest. “It keeps voters informed, strengthens democratic oversight, and sends a clear message to the world that America stands for openness and accountability,” Balsamo said. “Restricting access doesn’t protect national security. It undermines public trust,” Balsamo said.