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Longtime Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr took Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to task this week for his “brave” response to news organizations on social media. Who are refusing to sign his new press restrictionsIn which Hegseth used a waving hand emoji.
The star’s dig at the Pentagon chief is as follows All except one media outlet Rejected the department’s restrictive press rules, which require journalists to refrain from soliciting or gathering any information—including unclassified materials—that the department has not officially approved for release.
After issuing the revised press policy last week, the Pentagon sent an email warning that any reporters and journalists who did not sign the letter by the end of the day Tuesday would have to surrender their press badges within 24 hours. Meanwhile, no reputable publication has agreed to a censorship press policy, with several pro-Trump outlets also refuting Hegseth’s pledge.
Newsmax and Washington Times Joining a group of legacy and mainstream outlets in announcing on Monday that they would not sign the letter. While Fox News — where Hegseth once worked as a morning show host — has remained quiet so far, the conservative cable giant is coordinating with other television networks to issue a joint statement through the press pool.
As of Tuesday morning, the only organization willing to agree to the Pentagon’s sanctions is the small far-right network One America News, which largely serves as a MAGA propaganda channel. Specifically, O.A.N. Fired its chief Pentagon correspondent earlier this year He then criticized Hegseth for limiting media access and rarely holding press briefings.
Media has widely rejected Pentagon’s press agreement, Hegseth reacted By hand waving emoji tweeting In feedback For statements issued by new York Times, Washington Post And atlanticAs if he was saying goodbye to those publications and their journalists.
Starr, who served as CNN’s chief Pentagon correspondent for more than two decades before retiring in 2022, criticized the leader of the Defense Department — which was recently renamed the War Department by the Trump administration — for his Teen X positions. Additionally, he noted that Hegseth was doing so while accompanying the President to the Middle East to sign the Israeli peace accords.
“Mr. Hegseth has responded with this lazy use of emojis to several news organizations that issued statements saying they are not signing on to his new anti-First Amendment press access policy,” she Tweeted“It’s extremely ‘brave’ of POTUS to blast out on social media on a day when he doesn’t want to distract from Middle East peace news.”
The star said: “Here’s the real news: Journalism thrives and survives. Rudeness and insults will clearly be found [by] “Continue to inform the American people about where their troops are going and how their tax dollars are being spent.”
one in Separate post on SubstackStar also pushed back Hegseth’s claim He is demanding only that distinguished Pentagon reporters must always wear a visible badge, they will no longer roam freely in the building, and they “are no longer allowed to contemplate criminal acts.”
“Fact: The press can only walk into non-classified areas anyway. All classified information and workplace protections are behind closed doors,” Starr wrote, adding that it “has been the case for decades” that members of the press wear badges while at the Pentagon.
As for Hegseth’s suggestion that the journalists were seeking “criminal acts”, Starr responded that “it’s an incredibly serious allegation” and that Hegseth needed to “show the world his evidence” in cases that are not already being prosecuted. “Talking to a source does not constitute solicitation to commit any criminal act,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Star, have some experience The government is trying to pressure him to reveal his sources. In 2021, it was revealed that CNN had previously fought a lengthy legal battle with the Trump administration to obtain Starr’s phone and email records related to the 2017 leak investigation. “I’m really horrified by what happened,” he said at that timeHe described the incident as a “sheer abuse of power”.
In an op-ed on TuesdayNPR Pentagon reporter Tom Bowman — who has had a defense press pass for 28 years — wrote that he is surrendering his credentials this week because of the department’s “unprecedented” policy.
“That policy prevents us from doing our job,” Bowman said. “Signing that document will turn us into stenographers who memorize press releases, not watchdogs who hold government officials accountable.”
The Pentagon Press Association, which initially called the new rules an “unprecedented message of intimidation,” released a statement Monday night regarding the possibility of Hegseth implementing his restrictive policy.
The group said, “This Wednesday, most Pentagon Press Association members are likely to hand in their badges rather than accept a policy that locks out Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against journalists who seek information that has not been pre-approved for release.” “Our members did nothing to create this troubling situation. It stems from a completely unilateral move by Pentagon officials that is clearly intended to keep the American public away from information they do not control and do not pre-approve.”