From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
NYT, Newsmax among news outlets who say they won’t sign new Pentagon rules for reporters
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News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative Newsmax television network say they will not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the Pentagon.
Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Reuters also publicly join the group that says it will not be signing.
“Reuters is bound by its commitment to accurate, impartial and independent news,” the agency says in a statement. “We also steadfastly believe in the press protections afforded by the US Constitution, the unrestricted flow of information and journalism that serves the public interest without fear or favor. The Pentagon’s new restrictions erode these fundamental values.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacts by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by today must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.
The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release.
Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, say that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell says the rules establish “common sense media procedures.”
“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” Parnell says. “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.”
The Times of Israel Community.