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Pete Hegseth apparently graduated from the passive-aggressive school of censorship.
Sure, the Secretary of War often directly lambastes the news media, but his real strategy for controlling the press seems to rest on controlling the Pentagon building itself.
First came the furniture shuffle. Eight established news organizations lost their desks in the Pentagon, which were then reassigned to others, including Trump-friendly outlets. Reporters who for decades have walked the Pentagon’s offices freely were told that some halls would be off-limits without an escort. Then came the crushing blow: banishment from the briefing room, which also cut off its wi-fi.
Once you cut off access to desks, halls and the briefing room, what’s next? How about the building itself?
In a direct assault on freedom of the press and Americans’ right to know, Hegseth has announced a new policy. In order to retain a press pass and access to the Pentagon, “Information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
Say what? The government expects journalists to get approval to write about the Pentagon and American military policy before sharing it with the public, even if it’s not classified?
It’s tough to top GOP Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon’s succinct assessment of Hegseth’s plan, calling it “so dumb I have a hard time believing it is true.”
Hegseth’s press policy boils down to “We’ll let you know what you need to know and when you need to know it,” turning the First Amendment upside down.
I’ve been surprised at the relatively restrained reactions among major U.S. news media outlets, with a number saying they’ll work with others to get the policy overturned. How very civilized.
How about saying, “Fine, keep your press passes, desks and wi-fi. We’ll be setting up a card table in a parking garage in nearby Arlington, Va. Pentagon secrets welcome.” The Supreme Court has made clear that news organizations cannot be barred from publishing lawfully obtained information, even if the source has no business giving it to them.
Pentagon insiders aren’t motivated to share information with the press because reporters are just down the hall. They may have an axe to grind or personal agenda, but they want the truth out and no Pentagon paperwork is going to change that.
In defending his policy, Hegseth wrote on X: “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon, the people do.”
I agree. And what do the people want?
Since our nation’s birth, Americans have insisted on a free press to keep an eye on people in power, particularly in the strong central government that would wield unprecedented authority.
They established that in 1787 when they refused to accept the new U.S. Constitution without a Bill of Rights, including a guarantee of a free press.
They affirmed that in 1791 with the ratification of the first 10 amendments, with press freedom perched on top alongside guarantees of freedom of religion and speech.
Americans always want to know more, not less, about how their government is run.
Americans want to understand the military strategy that may one day require their sons and daughters to serve. Taxpayers concerned about growing deficits deserve to know what Hegseth means when he promises on X “the first TRILLION dollar @DeptDefense budget.” Americans have a right to know whether our military might is being used effectively and whether our nation will be kept safe.
On Sept. 28, President Trump was asked by reporters whether the Pentagon should control what journalists report. “No, I don’t think so, he said. “Nothing stops reporters.”
America is counting on that.
This column first appeared in USA TODAY. Reprinted by permission.
Ken Paulson is the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University and a former editor-in-chief of USA TODAY.