By Nia-Malika Henderson / Bloomberg Opinion
More than 100 Pentagon reporters cleaned out their workspaces and turned in their press credentials this week, refusing to sign a restrictive reporting policy advanced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Hegseth, dogged by reports highlighting his unfitness for the job, wants to control the flow of information from the department he leads. He wants the press to be his stenographer, rather than the free and independent fourth estate.
The defiant move by the press is a much-needed and united show of force by the media, whose independence has been under assault by the Trump administration and which has too often ceded ground; see the CBS and ABC settlements. Some 30 media outlets, including Bloomberg News, have declined to sign the new Pentagon policy, guaranteeing that the government’s largest federal department will be harder to cover. Even conservative outlets Newsmax and Fox News — Hegseth’s old employer — declined to sign the new policy. One America News Network, a Trump-friendly network, did agree to the new restrictions.
The pledge, outlined in a 21-page policy, would require reporters to agree not to solicit any information, classified or otherwise, that hasn’t been authorized for release. In other words, reporters would be barred from doing their jobs, which is to inform the public about what their government is doing.
Americans have every right to know how the department’s $1 trillion in taxpayer money is being spent. They have every right to know whether the version of events coming from top officials is true or simply spin. The Pentagon’s worrisome attempts to restrict reporters’ access are the latest evidence that oft-made promises of transparency by the Trump administration are empty. What this administration wants is an echo chamber. The Pentagon wants the American public and the world to hear only its version of events, and to shroud decisions of war and peace in secrecy.
“I think he finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace,” President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House Tuesday, with Hegseth by his side. “The press is very dishonest.”
What seems more likely is that Trump wants to control the narrative about his time in office. Were it not for the press, the world may never have known about the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq or the truth about the Vietnam War. More recently, reporters have been asking necessary questions about the legality of U.S. military strikes on vessels from Venezuela, revealing details that are at odds with the official administration line.
Hegseth’s fight with the press began early in his rocky tenure, and has become a hallmark of his time at the Pentagon.
“Our members did nothing to create this disturbing situation,” said the Pentagon Press Association in a statement about the policy. “It arises from an entirely one-sided move by Pentagon officials apparently intent upon cutting the American public off from information they do not control and pre-approve ; information concerning such issues as sexual assault in the military, conflicts of interest, corruption or waste and fraud in billion-dollar programs.”
“Reporting by the Pentagon press corps involves issues that matter not just to the public,” the statement continues, “But also to the well-being of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Guardians who protect America on a daily basis. Their potential expulsion from the Pentagon should be a concern to all.”
A year from now, when the committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize is considering whether to give the prestigious award to Trump, it should remember his administration’s wholesale crackdown on the press. It is part of an unconstitutional slide into authoritarianism, curbing freedoms, silencing critics and impeding democracy.
A reasonable question to ask of Hegseth is why he is so afraid of reporters. He has berated the press and given few press briefings, unlike his predecessors. The obvious answer is his own record, which includes his loose handling of classified information on a Signal chat with, among others, Vice President J.D. Vance.
Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has made a dogged attempt to root out leakers, including reported plans to administer polygraph tests and nondisclosure agreements. Yet, the biggest breach came right from the top.
Hegseth has called his attempts to restrict reporters’ access to the Pentagon “common-sense stuff,” falsely suggesting that journalists had been roaming around with unfettered access. On X, he glibly offered the goodbye emoji to outlets balking at the pledge.
Journalists who cover the Pentagon won’t be in the building, but their efforts to accurately cover it will remain undeterred and likely even more dogged.
To paraphrase a line from the movie Jurassic Park, reporters will find a way.
Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former senior political reporter for CNN and the Washington Post, she has covered politics and campaigns for almost two decades.
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