US Demands That Media Sign 10-Page Agreement To Access Military Information

US Demands That Media Sign 10-Page Agreement To Access Military Information

The Pentagon has implemented new regulations through a memorandum issued by spokesman Sean Parnell.

The United States Department of Defense is now requiring journalists to sign an agreement stipulating they will only utilize pre-approved military information or risk losing their Pentagon press credentials, representing another attempt by the Trump administration to influence media coverage.

This new requirement—part of an updated credentialing process presented to news organizations this week—was outlined in a memorandum from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. According to the memo, journalists must sign a 10-page document as a prerequisite for obtaining and maintaining press passes to cover Defense Department activities.

By signing the agreement, journalists acknowledge that Pentagon information "must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified."

The Pentagon justifies this new restriction by citing the need to safeguard classified national security information as well as material designated as "controlled unclassified information."

The New York Times released a statement declaring that such restrictions "are at stark odds with the constitutional protections of a free press in a democracy."

Criticism has emerged even from conservative lawmakers. Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska expressed his disapproval on X, calling the new press policy "so dumb" he found it difficult to believe.

"We don't want a bunch of Pravda newspapers only touting the government's official position," he stated, referencing the former Soviet propaganda outlet. "A free press makes our country better."

President Donald Trump's second-term tensions with media intensified this week when ABC network, owned by Walt Disney Co., removed late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from the air following his comments about deceased conservative activist Charlie Kirk, after pressure campaigns that included threats from Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr.

Earlier in April, the White House eliminated long-established press pool access for newswire services following a federal court order to restore credentials for The Associated Press.

This action came after AP filed a lawsuit when the White House began restricting its White House coverage after the wire service refused to adopt Trump's new name for the Gulf of Mexico—the "Gulf of America"—a change not recognized by other nations.

Trump has also reverted the Defense Department to its pre-World War II designation as the War Department, though this change requires congressional approval to be finalized.