President Donald Trump with members of his Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in 2025 (image from White House galleries)
Conservative news outlet Fox News on Tuesday joined a swelling number of news organizations refusing to comply with the Pentagon’s new press protocols that place restrictions on media access.
A broad coalition — including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, CNN, the Atlantic and the Associated Press — recently made public their refusals, arguing that the policy imposes unconstitutional restrictions on journalistic independence and transparency. Some right‑leaning outlets such as Newsmax had also declined to sign.
The only outlet to accept the Pentagon’s new reporting restrictions so far is One America News.
Originally, the Pentagon set a hard deadline of 5 p.m. EST on Tuesday for media outlets to formally accept the terms or risk losing their press credentials and access to Pentagon facilities. After mounting backlash from across the media industry, the Defense Department revised its language, lowering the threshold from mandatory agreement to a requirement merely to acknowledge understanding of the rules.
Still, many news organizations held firm in rejecting the updated policy.
The controversial rule was announced last month when the Department of Defense, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, asked credentialed Pentagon reporters to sign a pledge that they would not publish or solicit material not explicitly authorized by the Pentagon.
Critics viewed the terms as a thinly veiled gag order threatening core First Amendment protections.
Meanwhile, Fox's refusal on Tuesday led to strong reactions on social media.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), a veteran, reacted to the news and wrote on the social platform X: "I risked my life to protect fundamental American freedoms. That includes freedom of the press – Hegseth is DIRECTLY violating the 1A. I applaud every outlet, including Fox and Newsmax, which refuses to go along with this insanity. It's on all of us to speak truth to power."
Semafor editor Max Tani wrote: "Joint statement from the networks declining to agree with the Pentagon's new press policy. Fox News, Pete Hegseth's former employer, is a signatory."
Podcaster Chuch Todd wrote: "Pete Hegseth has united the media! Fox joins the rest of legacy media in pushing back against his radical press censorship policy. Congrats or something."
MSNBC commentator Sam Stein noted: "Looks like Hegseth's old employer, Fox News, has refused to sign his press requirements."
Political strategist Sawyer Hackett wrote: "Wow. Even FOX NEWS — who Pete Hegseth worked for nine months ago — is refusing to sign the Pentagon’s new press policy."
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