The War Department announced it reversed course on Monday with its previously established media guidelines at the Pentagon. The change comes after weeks of criticism regarding the earlier announced protocol, which required journalists to seek department approval before publishing articles. Critics derided it as extremely restrictive.
Credentialed media members of the Pentagon will not need approval before publishing news articles containing unreleased information, according to the New York Times. The change in guidelines comes after “two weeks of negotiations with national news organizations.”
Journalists were required to publish information that the Department of War had approved, the Washington Examiner previously reported. Any media member found to violate those rules and publish unauthorized information could have had their media credentials revoked.
“DoW remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust,” officials released in a statement. “However, DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
“These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon,” said War Department spokesman Sean Parnell.
At the time, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) expressed his displeasure with the Pentagon’s initial policy of restricting media reports. He was very critical of the Defense Department media regulations and likened them to state-controlled media exhibited by the infamous Soviet Union newspaper Pravda.
“This is so dumb that I have a hard time believing it is true,” Bacon wrote in a social media post on X. “We don’t want a bunch of Pravda newspapers only touting the Government’s official position. A free press makes our country better. This sounds like more amateur hour.”
DON BACON SLAMS PENTAGON POLICY ON UNAUTHORIZED INFORMATION RELEASES: ‘AMATEUR HOUR’
The new rules reported by the New York Times on Monday specified that the War Department was not requiring media personnel “to submit their writings” for approval. Guidelines mentioning potential actions that media members could take that would be considered “security risks” in violation of official protocol, and subsequently, revoke their credentials.
Furthermore, media members interested in covering the War Department will have a week to review the updated terms and then must sign an agreement to proceed. Those who don’t sign will not be guaranteed credentials, according to the information published by the New York Times. Furthermore, interested journalists must sign even if they don’t “necessarily agree with such policies and procedures.”
