Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth released new reporting guidelines for news organizations to report on the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, setting a Tuesday deadline for organizations to agree to the new terms. Only One America News Network (OAN) has signed on to the new guidelines. The majority of cable news networks have rejected it.
OAN is the only network to agree to the policies set forth by the Department. Those policies include limited credentials and access to organizations that do not adhere to the new pledge. Employees of those entities that do not agree will be accompanied by DOD officials when they access certain areas of the Pentagon.
Media outlets have until 5 PM ET on Tuesday to agree to the new policy or return their credentials to the Department of Defense.
In a joint statement from ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News, the five major networks said, “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 policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. 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.”
Newsmax also took a stand against the new press policy for similar reasons.
“Newsmax has no plans to sign the letter,” a network spokesperson told Barrett Media. “We are working in conjunction with other media outlets to resolve the situation. We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon with review the matter further.”
In a company release, Newsmax said the restrictions from the Pentagon and Department of Defense represent an undue limitation on press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The network warned that the Pentagon’s move will create a terrible precedent in covering future presidential administrations, including Democrat ones.
“Newsmax has long advocated for its First Amendment rights, which include a free press and free speech,” the company said. “We believe those rights extend to all press institutions, even ones we disagree with. We believe Newsmax has the right to publish classified information without permission of the government, and cannot sign a letter that says we do not.”
However, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who now hosts a primetime show on OAN, shared on social media that the company is “happy to follow these reasonable conditions, grounded in care for our national security.”
“Frankly I’m shocked these weren’t already the rules,” Gaetz added.
Gaetz also said in a post on X that the outlets that didn’t agree to the new policies enacted were “dummies.”
On Monday, the Washington Post joined The Atlantic, The Guardian, The New York Times, Reuters, NPR, the Associated Press, HuffPost and the trade publication Breaking Defense as media outlets that have said they will not sign the agreement.
Additionally, NewsNation and The Hill have also not signed on to the agreement with the Pentagon.
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