New Pentagon policy sends "message of intimidation," press group says

"The press association said in its Wednesday statement that the revised rules shared on Monday would force reporters to sign off on policies that could potentially expose them to prosecution for "simply doing [their] jobs." Reporters attempting to seek out information not yet available for formal release, even in unclassified instances, would be at risk of losing their credentials for exercising their First Amendment right, PPA wrote. "The policy conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it's criminal to speak without express permission - which plainly, it is not," per the PPA's statement."

"What they're saying: Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X Wednesday evening that the Department of Defense "has engaged in good-faith negotiations" with the association, "maintaining open dialogue with its members and accepting many of their suggested edits." "The only change is an overdue update to our credentialing process, which hasn't been revised in years - if not decades - to align with modern security standards. Such procedures are standard at military establishments worldwide, and the Pentagon is no exception," he added. "Access to the Pentagon is a privilege, not a right and the Department is not only legally permitted, but morally obligated to impose reasonable regulations on the exercise of that privilege.""

Revised Pentagon credentialing rules would require reporters to sign off on policies that could expose them to prosecution for routine newsgathering. Journalists seeking information not yet formally released, even if unclassified, could risk losing credentials and face barriers to exercising First Amendment rights. The policy is described as conveying an unprecedented message of intimidation by warning against unapproved interactions and implying criminality for speaking without express permission. The Pentagon frames the changes as a long-overdue update to align credentialing with modern security standards and emphasizes that access to the building is a privilege subject to reasonable regulation.

Read at Axios