Fox News is one of five major broadcast networks that released a joint statement on Tuesday opposing the Pentagon’s new press policy, which infringes on journalistic freedom.
“Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,” the statement from Fox News Media, ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News read.
In September, the Department of Defense announced a new policy that requires information to “be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
Fox News’ rejection of the new demands is especially noteworthy because the network is conservative and largely pro-Trump. It is also the former employer of Pete Hegseth, who now leads the Department of Defense. Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, argued Monday that “Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right.”
Just one news outlet has said it will sign the new policy, pro-Trump One America News. Former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz works as a host at OAN and said the new restrictions were “reasonable conditions, grounded in care for our national security.”
