Ned Price on Pete Hegseth's Pentagon Policy and Press Freedom

Pentagon's New Media Policy

• 🎯 A new Pentagon directive requires reporters to agree to report only information approved by the Pentagon to maintain access to the building.
• ⚠️ This policy, described as alarming and corrosive to democracy, restricts reporters' ability to cover the $1 trillion annual Pentagon budget and its operations.
• 💡 While some concessions have been made, the policy still threatens access for reporting on sensitive or unflattering information.

Attempt to Control the Press

• 📰 The policy is seen as an attempt to force the press corps to become stenographers rather than independent reporters, quashing dissent and encouraging only glowing coverage.
• 🔒 Pete Hegseth's actions are criticized as an attempt to clamp down on First Amendment rights, with better advice being to simply do a better job.
• 🚫 Hegseth's own controversial actions, such as sending classified information via Signal and firing top advisers, are cited as reasons he might be nervous about independent reporting.

Widespread Media Defiance

• 🚫 A vast majority of news outlets, including major conservative ones like Fox News, The Washington Times, and The Daily Caller, refused to sign the Pentagon's directive.
• 📰 Only One America News Network (OANN) signed on, highlighting the extreme nature of the policy.
• 🗣️ The refusal by outlets like Fox News, Hegseth's former employer, signals that he may have gone too far even for his allies.

Significance of Joint Action

• 🤝 The unified stance by print, TV, and association reporters is notable, especially given potential ideological divides.
• 📣 This collective action is seen as effective, potentially leading to concessions from the administration to avoid a media blackout.
• 📺 The administration's reliance on media attention, particularly from outlets like Fox News, makes a blackout a significant threat.

Potential Resolutions

• ⚖️ A potential compromise could involve the Pentagon reserving the right to revoke access for publishing classified or sensitive information without forcing reporters to sign an acknowledgment.
• 🕊️ This