The new Pentagon press guidelines are so onerous — wha with its enforced pledge that news outlets can’t do any actual reporting while inside the Pentagon building — that even reliably right-wing outlets like Fox News and Newsmax refused to take part in the new regime. Newsmax, for instance, called the new rules “a threat to press freedom and government transparency” and claimed they “will create a terrible precedent in covering future presidential administrations, including Democrat ones.”
But you know who loved the new guidelines? The Media Research Center. An Oct. 20 propaganda article by Craig Bannister under the sullied-beyond-recognition CNSNews.com banner insisted that the new policy is “being mischaracterized by the media”:
In one article, The Washington Post claims the new rules “prohibit soliciting any information the government doesn’t authorize reporters to have” (emphasis added).
The Hill also claims reporters “would need to pledge to not obtain or use any unauthorized material, even if the information is unclassified,” adding that “Media outlets say this is a violation of their First Amendment rights.”
But, members of the press are not actually required to “pledge” anything. They’re just expected to sign a statement acknowledging that they’ve been informed of the rule changes. What’s more, the statement explicitly notes that signing does not indicate agreement with the policy:
[…]And, no, the Pentagon did not “confiscate” press badges, as Axios claims in its headline. In actuality, the reporters turned in their press credentials in protest of the new Pentagon policy.
Likewise, the Pentagon policy does not prohibit reporters from soliciting or reporting “any unauthorized material” – just that which is either “classified national security information (CNSI)” or “controlled unclassified information (CUI).”
And, although authorization is required for dissemination of CNSI or CUI by staff, “Members of the news media are not required to submit their writings to DoW for approval.”
Thus, contrary to the People headline, no coverage must be “pre-approved,” though dissemination of CNSI and CUI by staff to reporters does require approval.
The Pentagon policy addresses the First Amendment objection as well, explaining that “There is a critical distinction between lawfully requesting information from the government and actively soliciting or encouraging government employees to break the law.”
The only evidence Bannister cites to back up his revisionist takes is Mollie Hemingway of the right-wing Federalist, who stated, ““If the new guidelines result in fewer professional con artists and media hoaxers roaming the halls looking for new lies to peddle, so be it.” Hemingway offered no evidence any of that was actually happening.
Bannister followed with an Oct. 21 article featuring another right-wing toady:
The new Pentagon press rules being protested by the media wouldn’t have stopped him from doing the job during his decade covering the U.S. military beat, nationally-syndicated talk radio show and podcast host Chris Plante tells CNSNews in an exclusive interview.
The vast majority of reporters turned in their Pentagon press credentials last week because new rules designed to prevent leaks require them to be accompanied by escorts at times and forbid them from soliciting confidential information from government employees.
But, Plante says the rules wouldn’t have hurt his reporting – and won’t encumber veteran reporters working inside the Pentagon today.
Bannister didn’t disclose that Plante is a right-winger not unlike himself.
Meanwhile, the new press policy has had its desired effect, with more right-wing toadlies like Laura Loomer and James O’Keefe becoming an official part of the Pentagon press corps, and the first briefing they took part in was unsurprisingly softball-laden. An Oct. 22 WorldNetDaily article on the new press corps refused to name any of its new members beyond fellow right-wing toady One America News.