LEILA FADEL, HOST:
By the close of business today, dozens of reporters covering the Pentagon for major news outlets will have to turn in the badges giving them access to the building. That's because almost all news organizations, including NPR, have rejected new policies for journalists from the Defense Secretary. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik reports.
DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the White House yesterday complaining that reporters failed to give President Trump enough credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Hegseth also defended the new demands he has placed on the press corps that covers the Pentagon.
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PETE HEGSETH: So it's common sense stuff, Mr. President, we're trying to make sure national security is respected, and we're proud of the policy.
FOLKENFLIK: The policy bans disclosure of information that is not authorized by the Pentagon for public release, even if that information is not classified. Hegseth has accused news organizations of wanting to be able to roam freely throughout the Pentagon and asking people to divulge secrets. So far, only the right-wing, pro-Trump outfit One America News Network has signed on to the policy. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman says he'd rather turn in his badge after 28 years than make that promise. Here's what Bowman said last night on NPR's All Things Considered.
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TOM BOWMAN: That turns us into stenographers and not reporters. That basically means we just parrot what the government tells us, much like you would see in countries - authoritarian ones where the government places sharp controls on the press.
FOLKENFLIK: As he took office, Hegseth promised to make the Pentagon the most transparent in U.S. history. Instead, Hegseth and his aides have kept reporters largely at bay, refusing to share information with the press and narrowing further where reporters can go within the building. After Hegseth was embarrassed by early press reports, he subjected officials he suspected of leaks to lie detector tests. Hegseth was previously a weekend morning host for Fox News. That's where he caught Trump's eye. Fox joined with other TV networks in refusing to sign this pledge, collectively saying, quote, "the policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections." In a statement sent to NPR, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the pledge just highlights what defense department personnel can tell the press. He wrote that the policy does not ask reporters to agree, quote, "just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is." Parnell accused news outlets of having, quote, "a full-blown meltdown, crying victim online." Media advocacy groups say the Pentagon is straying into prior restraint, that is, determining what a private and free press can report before publication. That practice was barred under a Supreme Court ruling more than 50 years ago. It's commonly called the Pentagon Papers case. David Folkenflik, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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