Press Group Condemns New Pentagon Rules on Reporting
A group that lobbies on behalf of Pentagon reporters on Wednesday harshly criticized new rules released by the Defense Department that could lead to the revocation of press credentials.
“Limiting the media’s ability to report on the U.S. military fails to honor the American families who have entrusted their sons and daughters to serve in it, or the taxpayers responsible for giving the department hundreds of billions of dollars a year,” a statement from the group, the Pentagon Press Association, said. There are approximately 90 journalists with credentials to cover the Pentagon.
Representatives of news organizations have been negotiating with the Pentagon since the department first released a set of new rules in a lengthy memo dated Sept. 18. The rules represent a major departure from how reporting at the Pentagon has worked for decades.
The memo said that the Pentagon was committed to transparency and accountability, but it also laid out a set of strictures that immediately drew criticism from news organizations. One of its provisions was widely interpreted as requiring reporters to seek approval from the government for their coverage. Failure to comply could lead to a revocation of press passes.
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