>The policy, issued by the Department of Defense in a seventeen-page memo on September 18, demands that journalists covering the Pentagon sign a document promising to report only on material “approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official, even if it is unclassified.” Failure to do so by September 30 would result in the loss of their “hard pass,” the coveted press credential that permits certain reporters regular, unescorted access to the building. Pentagon officials recently told reporters they could request an additional five days to “consult with legal counsel” before the policy would be enforced.
Reporters and people should be able to talk about / report things, even if the government doesn't like it.
What it means is that nothing being reported by journalists who retain their "hard passes" can be trusted, any more than DoD press releases can be trusted.
Some interesting diagrams in Appendix D ("areas where press are allowed without an escort") and a map in Appendix E. I am concerned about safety at all times, that of myself and others, especially those doing journalism, and I don't know if most folks benefit from this kind of information being publicly known, but that is ironically the subject of this post, so I can't help but draw attention to it, since you mentioned the memo.
>The policy, issued by the Department of Defense in a seventeen-page memo on September 18, demands that journalists covering the Pentagon sign a document promising to report only on material “approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official, even if it is unclassified.” Failure to do so by September 30 would result in the loss of their “hard pass,” the coveted press credential that permits certain reporters regular, unescorted access to the building. Pentagon officials recently told reporters they could request an additional five days to “consult with legal counsel” before the policy would be enforced.
Reporters and people should be able to talk about / report things, even if the government doesn't like it.
That policy is absurd / anti democratic.
What it means is that nothing being reported by journalists who retain their "hard passes" can be trusted, any more than DoD press releases can be trusted.
Loose lips sink ships: leaks need plugging more than depths need plumbing.
An informed citizenry is essential to maintain freedom & democracy. This makes it much harder for the citizenry to be informed.
Informing the public of nonpublic information is literally not the job of the Pentagon.
The memo in question has been released by NYT here, and is linked in TFA:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/09/20/us/pentagon-p... | https://archive.is/JRqf1
Some interesting diagrams in Appendix D ("areas where press are allowed without an escort") and a map in Appendix E. I am concerned about safety at all times, that of myself and others, especially those doing journalism, and I don't know if most folks benefit from this kind of information being publicly known, but that is ironically the subject of this post, so I can't help but draw attention to it, since you mentioned the memo.
https://archive.is/d1TAr