Censorship

Journalists’ Pentagon Walk-Out

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 10/16/25

Headline:  “Hundreds of people cover the Pentagon. These are the 15 who signed its new press policy.”

Subhead: “The Federalist, the Epoch Times and One America News signed the Defense Department’s press rules. The rest are freelancers, independent or work for media outfits based overseas.”

” . . . Journalists from nearly every major U.S. news outlet, including The Washington Post, turned in their press badges Wednesday after refusing to adhere to the new rules for reporters at the Pentagon, which prohibit soliciting any information the government doesn’t authorize reporters to have. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/16/more-than-100-people-cover-pentagon-only-15-signed-its-new-press-policy/

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 10/16/25

Headline: ” ‘The Daily Show’ mockingly agrees to Hegseth’s press restrictions”

” ‘After serious consideration, The Daily Show has agreed to the Pentagon’s new demands regarding press access,’ the show said in a graphic posted on social media. ‘We were going to refuse, but everyone else rejected it so hard that it honestly made us feel kinda bad for Pete Hegseth.’ . . .’

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5558261-daily-show-hegseths-pentagon-press-rules/

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Article in Daily Kos by Oliver Wells 10/16/25

Headline: “White House spews pathetic lie about Pentagon media walkout”

“. . .in response to a photo of the reporters who left, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on X, ‘SOURCE: a few reporters on this wall have privately said they were bullied into participating in the walkout when they actually wanted to stay. ‘. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/16/2348899/-White-House-spews-pathetic-lie-about-Pentagon-media-walkout?

“We Don’t Need no Stinkin’ Badges”

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/15/25

Headline:  “Pentagon reporters have now turned in their badges – but plan to keep reporting”

Subhead: “Reporters who declined to sign new set of Pentagon rules had to clear out of world’s largest military headquarters”

“. . .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. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/15/pentagon-press-reporting-policy

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Article in The Washington Post by Dan Lamothe, 10/15/25

Headline:  “Hegseth’s legal fixer at the center of Pentagon’s new media restrictions”

Subhead:  “Tim Parlatore represented the defense secretary when he faced sexual assault allegations, and also counts alleged mobsters and President Donald Trump as former clients.”

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bid to impose sweeping restrictions on journalists’ ability to report at the Pentagon was orchestrated with advice from his longtime personal lawyer, whose role on Hegseth’s staff has troubled some defense officials. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/15/hegseth-media-restrictions-tim-parlatore/

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Article in The New Republic by James North, 10/15/25

Headline:  “The Media Is Blowing a Big Story in Venezuela”

Subhead:  “With the president and his cronies ratcheting up their belligerence, the political press is failing to grasp how close we are to another regime change war.”

“How’s this for history repeating? The mainstream American media is botching its coverage of the Trump administration’s mounting military threats to Venezuela, and that failure is contributing to what looks to be a prolonged and violent disaster for both nations. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://newrepublic.com/article/201512/media-courting-colossal-failure-venezuela

Reporters Only Stenographers Now?

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 10/14/25

Headline:  “Media including Fox News overwhelmingly reject Pentagon press policy”

Subhead:  “The network, which is generally supportive of the Trump administration, has joined ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN in not signing the Defense Department press policy.”

“. . .Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,’ the news networks wrote. ‘The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/14/fox-news-among-broadcasters-refusing-sign-pentagon-press-pledge/

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Article in Mediaite by Sarah Rumpf, 10/14/25

Headline:  “Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Press Crackdown Gets Absolutely Walloped on Fox News by Retired General”

“Retired General and former Vice Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Jack Keane was bluntly critical of the Pentagon’s new press restrictions Tuesday, telling Fox News anchor Bret Baier this was an improper attempt to “spoon-feed information” to journalists. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/pete-hegseths-pentagon-press-crackdown-gets-absolutely-walloped-on-fox-news-by-retired-general/

 

Some Media Waking Up Now?

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Article in The Guardian by Edward Helmore, 10/13/25

Headline:  “US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information”

Subhead:  “Defense department policy requires outlets to vow not to obtain unauthorized files and restricts access to some areas”

“Several leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally said they will not agree to a new defense department policy that requires them to pledge they will not obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.

“The policy, presented last month by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been widely criticized by media organizations asked to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5pm or have 24 hours to turn in their press credentials. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/13/defense-department-media-news-rules

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Article in The Washington Post by Scott Nover, 10/13/25

Headline: “News outlets broadly reject Pentagon rules before deadline for signing”

Subhead: “The Washington Post joined the New York Times, Newsmax and CNN in refusing to sign the restrictive new policy.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/13/prominent-media-reject-new-pentagon-rules-before-signing-deadline/

Stopping Reporting With Force

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 10/10/25

Headline: “Border Patrol Agents Arrest Chicago News Producer and Ram Vehicle in Hasty Getaway”

“Masked Border Patrol agents on Friday arrested a TV producer for WGN News in Chicago, threw her into an unmarked van, and rammed into another vehicle as they drove away.”

“A video posted on Facebook by a bystander named Josh Thomas shows three masked agents pinning Debbie Brockman on a street in Chicago’s North Side as they handcuff her. Thomas asks her name, which she gives, before Thomas asks the agents, ‘You guys wanna share your names, too?’. . .”

“They declined. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/ice-agents-arrest-chicago-news-producer-and-ram-vehicle-in-hasty-getaway/

Nothing New at Pentagon – Move Along

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Ivan L. Nagy, 10/9/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon Doubles Down on Muzzling Reporters”

Subhead:  “Members of the press corps covering the Department of Defense say guidelines, newly revised, remain unsignable.”

“Last month, the Department of Defense issued a memo to reporters imposing an unprecedented set of restrictions on covering the Pentagon and setting a deadline for members of the press to sign a pledge of compliance. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.cjr.org/news/pentagon-doubles-down-pete-hegseth-muzzling-reporters-press-corps-policy.php

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Article in Axios by Julianna Bragg, 10/8/25

Headline:  “New Pentagon policy sends ‘message of intimidation,’ press group says”

The Department of Defense plans to enforce new policies that ‘appear designed to stifle a free press,’ the Pentagon Press Association said Wednesday.

Why it matters: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced weeks of backlash over a Sept. 15 memo restricting engagements alongside new requirements that journalists sign an ‘express agreement’ not to gather any information the department hasn’t officially authorized for release, or they risk losing access to Pentagon facilities. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/09/pentagon-press-restrictions-trump-journalists-ppa

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 10/9/25

Headline:  “News organizations hold out on signing Pentagon media policies ‘designed to stifle a free press’

Subhead:  “Trump administration has been accused of preparing to severely limit journalists’ ability to cover the department”

“With days left before journalists covering the Pentagon must sign on to a new set of guidelines to retain physical access to the department, major US news companies – and organizations representing their interests – remain concerned about specific policies they fear will stifle independent reporting on the Pentagon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/09/new-pentagon-press-rules-trump– – – – –

Article in The Contrarian by Jennifer Rubin and Ned Price, 10/8/25

Headline:  “The Pentagon handcuffs free press and Gaza’s potential peace deal with Ned Price”

Subhead:  “The president could really care less.”

“In a deep discussion with Jen, Ned presents the dangers of handcuffing independent journalists to reporting solely Pentagon-approved memos. “Day to day journalism is so important,” Ned shares, designating the burden of safeguarding classified information on the Pentagon. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-pentagon-handcuffs-free-press

Riding the Press?

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Article in The Hill by Max REgo, 10/6/25

Headline:  “Hegseth defends media restrictions: ‘The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want’ “

“Pete Hegseth is doubling down on the Pentagon’s new restrictions for the press corps, arguing it will not change despite complaints from the press.

“ ‘I think the American people see things like that as absolute common sense,’ the Defense secretary told Fox News on Sunday. ‘The Pentagon press corps can squeal all they want, we’re taking these things seriously. They can report, they just need to make sure they’re following rules.’ . . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5540286-hegseth-defends-pentagon-rules/

 

Media Hide Project 2025?

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Article in Common Dreams by Stephen Prager, 10/3/25

Headline: “Media Faces Reckoning After Helping Trump Downplay Project 2025 on Campaign Trail”

Subhead:  ” ‘A Trump denial is not a fact,’ said one media critic.”

“As President Donald Trump openly embraces Project 2025, mainstream media outlets are facing criticism for their role in helping him downplay his ties to the wildly unpopular far-right governing playbook in the lead-up to his reelection last year. . .”

“She [Kamala Harris] and other Democrats warned that if he retook power, he would swiftly enact many of its most extreme and unpopular proposals and dramatically expand executive power while doing it. . .”

“After nine months back in power, the website Project 2025 Tracker estimates that Trump has already implemented approximately 48% . . .”

“ ‘Nothing showed the difference between mainstream and independent media better than the response to Trump’s obvious lie about not knowing anything about Project 2025,’ said David Pepper, author of the book Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/project-2025-media-backlash

Journalism in U.S. Now Dangerous

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Article in The Hill by Michael R.Sisak, 9/30/25

Headline: “Federal agents grab and shove journalists outside NYC immigration court, sending one to hospital”

“Federal agents grabbed and shoved journalists in a hallway outside a NewYork City immigration court on Tuesday, sending one to the hospital in the latest clash between authorities enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and members of the public seeking to observe and document their actions. . . ”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/federal-agents-shove-journalists-immigration-court/