(Adnkronos) – “This is a sad day for those who support a free press.” This is what Nancy Youssef, Pentagon correspondent for The Atlantic, declared, who, along with about thirty colleagues, left the headquarters of the Department of Defense, now the Department of War, after their accreditations were suspended for refusing to sign the new rules wanted by Pete Hegseth, which impose restrictions considered a violation of freedom of expression.
“However, I am incredibly honored to be part of a team of journalists who have remained united and committed to protecting First Amendment rights,” added the journalist, referring to the fact that all major newspapers, agencies, and broadcasters, even some with a conservative orientation, such as Fox News, refused to sign the commitment to respect the new rules, thus accepting to lose their Pentagon accreditation.
The Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, defends the measure as “common sense guidelines to protect classified information, national security, and the protection of all those who work at the Pentagon.” But the Pentagon press association denounces the threat of “criminalizing journalistic activity related to national security,” given that by signing the rules, journalists would commit to reporting and soliciting news only from authorized sources.
