Pentagon says ‘new generation’ of more than 60 journalists signed restrictive new rules

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that more than 60 journalists have agreed to the restrictive new press policies implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and will form the “next generation of the Pentagon press corps.”

The Defense Department did not identify the journalists or outlets that have signed the new media access policy, which requires reporters to acknowledge in writing that it could be considered a security threat to solicit unapproved information from sources.

In a statement, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that “26 journalists across 18 outlets were among the former Pentagon press corps” who agreed to the new policy. They were not identified in the statement.

As of last week, when journalists were required to sign the document or give up their press credentials, only one major outlet, One America News Network, had agreed to the new policy.

The Washington Times did not sign the policy and, as a result, has lost its desk in the Pentagon. Mr. Hegseth’s former employer, Fox News, also did not sign.

Mr. Parnell said that the Pentagon is eager to work with a new pool of journalists.

“New media outlets and independent journalists have created the formula to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media and get real news directly to the American people,” he said in his statement. “Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon. Americans have largely abandoned digesting their news through the lens of activists who masquerade as journalists in the mainstream media. We look forward to beginning a fresh relationship with members of the new Pentagon press corps.”

The new rules codified significant restrictions on where reporters could go inside the sprawling Pentagon complex. Critics said that it also tried to control the kinds of stories that journalists write by forcing them to acknowledge that they could be considered a security threat for soliciting information from sources.

The initial version of the rules asked reporters to sign a document saying they understood they could lose their press access if they reported on any information not formally approved for release by the government, though that specific language was softened in the final version.

Still, the policy is widely viewed as deeply harmful to the quality of news coverage that will come out of the Pentagon.

“What they’re really doing, they want to spoon-feed information to the journalists, and that would be their story. That’s not journalism. Journalism is going out and finding the story and getting all the facts to support it,” retired Army Gen. Jack Keane said on Fox News last week.

Mr. Hegseth appears intent on restricting the flow of information coming out of the Pentagon. The Defense Department has instituted new restrictions on military officials speaking at think tank events or other public forums. And this week, the Pentagon reportedly issued a memo clamping down on military officials’ ability to communicate with Congress.