Pentagon reporters have now turned in their badges – but plan to keep reporting
Reporters who declined to sign new set of Pentagon rules had to clear out of world’s largest military headquarters
Pentagon reporters who declined to sign a new set of policies
that press advocates and news organizations denounced as incompatible
with the tenets of journalism were set to return their press badges by
5pm on Wednesday, ending decades of history of robust in-house coverage
at the world’s largest military headquarters.
In
the hours leading up to the deadline, journalists worked furiously to
pack up their workspaces in two media rooms, with hallways filled to the
brim with boxes and books and other souvenirs of decades of daily
coverage.
One
veteran Pentagon correspondent – who was not authorized to comment on
the record – spoke to the Guardian as they headed to the complex to
collect their belongings. They said they normally take the subway to
work but drove today “because we have so much crap that we need to take
back”.
Those who raced to pack up their
belongings also began thinking about how they would now cover the
Pentagon without the direct access that many have relied upon for years.
Current
and former Pentagon correspondents who spoke with the Guardian said
that coverage would undoubtedly suffer from a lack of proximity to
administration decision-makers – though many are intent on proving that
the restrictions won’t stop the work, with some even saying they plan to
take a more aggressive tack.
Under guidelines set by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has regularly mocked the media, the Pentagon has gradually cut back on access for journalists, booting some television networks from their dedicated workspaces and shutting down the briefing room that many used as a workaround.
Forcing
journalists to sign a lengthy set of new guidelines that put limits on
their reporting activities was seen as the latest – but
most significant – move in that direction. In particular, many
journalists were unwilling to agree to strict rules on the
“solicitation” of information from defense employees, with vague
language guiding how exactly reporters would be able to get the material
they needed to do their jobs.
Despite partisan divisions that often pit pundits on networks such as Fox News and CNN
against each other, the country’s five major television networks all
signed a joint statement on Tuesday pledging not to sign the agency’s
new guidelines, which they said “threatens core journalistic
principles”.
But the news organizations pledged: “We will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press.”
The veteran Pentagon correspondent said they “believe that coverage is going to take a hit.
“In
the short and medium term, it’s going to reduce the number of probing
stories we would have done,” the person said. But, they added, “long
term, I think we as reporters will figure out ways around it … I’m also
sort of motivated as well, because once this happens it’s like, I’m
going to go really hard now and try to prove that we can do our jobs
without being there.”
In particular, reporters
worry about the lag time in getting answers to questions about
fast-moving developments. When urgent news from abroad comes in,
reporters used to be able to race to the offices of press officials to
quickly seek clarity and comment. Now, many will be forced to wait by
their phone and email.
There are also concerns
about Pentagon officials clamming up, considering that the new
guidelines state specifically that military members “face potentially
severe consequences for disclosing non-public information without proper
authorization”, with “criminal liability” mentioned as a possible
recourse.
“I do hope there are as many probing
stories, but I think the chilling effect of Hegseth’s move isn’t just
going to be limited to reporters, it’s going to have a chilling effect
on officials as well,” the Pentagon correspondent said.