Pentagon Places New Limitations on Journalists' Freedom to Report - Military authorities are tightening their controls over news coverage.
The Pentagon has implemented new restrictions on journalistic reporting, a move that has sparked outrage and concern among media outlets and press freedom advocates.
The new regulations, announced by Defense Minister Pete Hegseth on the online service X, detail extensive new restrictions on the areas where Pentagon reporters can move without official escort. These restrictions apply to both secret and controlled unclassified information.
The new rules also require Pentagon reporters to wear an ID and follow rules when moving around secure facilities. Leaving these facilities without following the rules is no longer allowed.
The National Press Club in Washington has criticised the Pentagon's information gathering guidelines, describing them as a 'direct attack on independent journalism.' The New York Times echoed this criticism, stating that the new Pentagon-reporting regulations directly violate constitutional protections of a free press in a democracy.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has stated that the situation for journalists in the US has significantly deteriorated since the attack on the far-right activist Charlie Kirk on September 10. Anja Osterhaus, the managing director of the German RSF section, made these comments to the news agency AFP. RSF sees 'a clear escalation' in the situation for journalists in the US.
The criticism comes amidst a backdrop of unprecedented aggression from US President Donald Trump against media outlets that, in his view, spread lies and misinformation about him and his government. In July, the CBS network announced the end of the 'Late Show' of the satirist Stephen Colbert, who is also a decided critic of Trump. There was outrage over the cancellation of the show of the satirist Jimmy Kimmel after his statements about the attack on Kirk.
The Pentagon has defended the new restrictions, stating that they are intended to promote accountability and public trust. The US President, Donald Trump, was the person who published the new regulation regarding reporting in the US Armed Forces and the Department of Defense of the United States.
The new restrictions prevent the publication of internal information that comes from unnamed officials outside official communication channels. This has raised concerns about the transparency of the government's actions and decisions.
As the situation continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how these new restrictions will impact the work of Pentagon reporters and the public's right to know.
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