.jpg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "Only one news outlet has signed on to Hegseth’s media loyalty oath — even Trump-mouthpiece Newsmax balked – UK Times")
Amid a slew of mainstream news publications rejecting the Pentagon’s prohibitive new press restrictions ahead of a Tuesday signing deadline, right-wing cable channel Newsmax surprisingly declared that it would also refuse to sign the new agreement, calling the policy “unnecessary and onerous.”
In fact, amid the continued backlash against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new rules – which the Pentagon Press Association called an “unprecedented message of intimidation” – only one media organization has agreed to sign the letter: Trump-boosting channel One America News.
Late last month, the Department of Defense – which the Trump administration recently rebranded as the War Department – announced that it was imposing severe restrictions on reporters covering the Pentagon, including requiring them to cease gathering any information that the department hadn’t already cleared. Hegseth declared that any journalist who didn’t sign the pledge would have their press credentials revoked.
Following intense outrage from free press advocacy groups and media outlets, with the National Press Club saying the new policy “should alarm every American,” the Pentagon released a revised agreement last week.
While the new draft stated that “members of the news media are not required to submit their writings” to the department in advance of publication, it still makes it clear that reporters cannot solicit or obtain any information that the department doesn’t authorize. It also outlines what behaviors could see journalists deemed “security risks” and have their press passes pulled.
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Hegseth, a former Fox News morning host, has been on a mission in recent months to crack down on the press covering the department – especially in the wake of the embarrassing Signal chat leak. Even before proposing these latest media restrictions, the Pentagon had already booted several legacy media organizations from their dedicated spaces, limited the movement of reporters within the building, and had rarely held press briefings.
“The American people deserve to know how their military is being run. They deserve more information from this administration, not less. We hope the Pentagon reconsiders,” the Pentagon Press Association said in response to the department’s media prohibitions.
After releasing the revised press policy last week, the Pentagon stated that any media representative who did not acknowledge and sign the letter by 5 p.m. on Tuesday had one day to turn in their pass and clear out their desk. News outlets, including some conservative ones, have instead held firm and refused to back down. The Pentagon Press Association has already retained lawyers for a probable legal battle, and other news organizations have consulted their legal counsel.
“Newsmax has no plans to sign the letter. We are working in conjunction with other media outlets to resolve the situation,” a spokesperson from the right-wing television network said in a statement. “We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”
The stance by Newsmax is noteworthy considering how closely aligned the network, which is run by Trump confidant Christopher Ruddy, is with the White House. Newsmax has long sought to position itself to the right of Fox News and appeal overtly to both the president and his most ardent supporters – a strategy that has recently led the channel to air commercials for Trump’s “Fight, Fight, Fight” watch collection.
Christopher Dolan, the president and executive editor of conservative newspaper The Washington Times, also revealed that his outlet’s reporters wouldn’t be signing the agreement.
One America News, the small far-right channel that has seen its fortunes improve with Trump’s return to the White House, is so far the only outlet that has approved the letter. “After thorough review of the revised press policy by our attorney, OAN staff has signed the document,” network president Charles Herring said in a statement.
Fox News did not immediately respond when asked if the network’s reporters had signed the letter.
As of publication, the New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Hill and trade publication Breaking Defense have all stated that their journalists will not sign the agreement.
“The proposed restrictions undercut First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information,” Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray said on Monday. “We will continue to vigorously and fairly report on the policies and positions of the Pentagon and officials across the government.”
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was included in the infamous Signal chat that saw Hegseth share highly sensitive war plans earlier this year, explained why his outlet’s journalists were rebuffing the policy.
“We fundamentally oppose the restrictions that the Trump administration is imposing on journalists who are reporting on matters of defense and national security,” Goldberg stated. “The requirements violate our First Amendment rights, and the rights of Americans who seek to know how taxpayer-funded military resources and personnel are being deployed.”
Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell, meanwhile, criticized the press for having “decided to move the goal post” after the latest revision to the policy, adding that reporters are not required to agree with the restrictions but just acknowledge them.
Parnell said in a statement: “In every step of the process establishing common sense media procedures for Pentagon press, representatives from outlets like the New York Times, CNN, and others have expressed their gratitude for our efforts. Yet at the last minute, they have decided to move the goal post and refuse to sign the policy because of a single issue: a line that says they “understand” what our policies are.
“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is. This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”
Hegseth took it even further on Monday, responding to the condemnations from several news publications – notably the New York Times, the Post and the Atlantic – with a hand-waving emoji, as if saying goodbye to the outlets.
