Conservative news outlet Newsmax joined the far left outlets AP, New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlantic, who will not sign onto the new Pentagon rules. They don’t want escorts anywhere in the Pentagon. They want to continue roaming around as if they worked there.
If they don’t sign on to the new rules, they will be escorted out of the Pentagon. The outlets claim it’s punishment for ordinary news gathering protected by the 1st Amendment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted 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 Tuesday must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day. He did the same with WaPo and The Altantic.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 13, 2025
He also depicted The Atlantic in a meme as a crying baby.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 13, 2025
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.
They have to wear badges. They are the same rules all installations have. They became very lax over the years, and Secretary Hegseth is winding it back.
Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, said that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”
It would be onerous if they want secret information they plan to publish.
Newsmax has become an awful network, regardless of some support for Trump. I used to turn it on visiting family but no longer. It’s all neocon. It loves wars.
It’s just a matter of national security common sense. It’s not like there haven’t been deadly, damaging “leaks”. Press should get their panties out of a collective bunch, and start reporting the truth.
LIKE POTUS TRUMP TOLD REPORTERS IN HIS FIRST TERM MILITARY OPS WERE NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS. REPORTERS AND POLITICIANS HAVE GOTTEN OUR PEOPLE KILLED BECAUSE OF THEIR BIG MOUTHS. LIKE IN WW2 “LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS”.
Tough shit, deal with it.
The New York Times claim they do fair reporting and pursue the facts. That right there is neither the facts nor is a fair description of what they do. They constantly distort, exaggerate, omit facts, present things out of context to demonize Trump or anyone on the right. They even colluded with Biden’s corrupt FBI and published fake Russia Russia… Read more »
Also, there would be no need to restrict media access if Obongo and Bidumb had not packed the Pentagon and other military installations with deranged leftists who are just waiting to leak national secrets and spread lies to their media pals. Any civilian appointed by Obongo or Bidumb should have been fired last January 20th.
As I previously stated, I worked as a civilian employee at a Navy undersea weapons laboratory for over 30 years and the media always required an escort when visiting our base. Why should military headquarters be any different? The news media, or 95% of it, has spent decades lying about anything and everything while attempting to destroy our country. If… Read more »