A memo issued by the U.S. "Secretary of War" Pete Hegseth in September outlined new regulations for media journalists stationed at the Pentagon, stating that journalists stationed at the Pentagon should not collect or report on "unauthorized released messages," otherwise they would face "the risk of losing their press credentials." It also required journalists to sign a statement agreeing to abide by this regulation by October 15th.

The memo also stated that if news media went to other areas or offices within the Pentagon or conducted in-person interviews or other activities, they must be accompanied by personnel authorized by the Department of Defense. On the other hand, the memo claimed that the Pentagon "will continue to commit to transparency that builds public trust," but it also stipulated that any military personnel, civilian employees, or contract workers at the Pentagon must obtain "approval from an appropriate official" before releasing any information, even if it is non-classified information. It also warned journalists not to request or inquire about "classified national security information," even "controlled unclassified information," otherwise they would be expelled.

Hegseth

This memo was uniformly resisted by almost all media outlets from the beginning, citing that it "violated the First Amendment rights." Although it was partially revised afterward, it still issued an "ultimatum" that the agreement must be signed by 5 p.m. on the 15th. Trump himself also expressed support for this policy on the 14th, claiming that the media were "very dishonest" and insisting that these rules were necessary. Trump said he found the media "very destructive" in terms of world peace and American national security.

Except for a few media outlets and individual journalists, most media personnel chose to refuse to sign before the "ultimatum" and left the Pentagon collectively. According to The Hill, approximately 40 journalists submitted their press badges at the Pentagon, and by around 4 p.m. that day, most journalists had already gathered to prepare to leave.

Some journalists and media-related personnel posted tweets and photos on social media showing that equipment and items originally belonging to these media outlets in the Pentagon were taken away along with the departing personnel. A CNN journalist also showed a photo of an office that had been "emptied." The media signs hanging at the doors of each media outlet's workspace were also removed and taken down. Some photos showed many media signs from different outlets being stacked together, while others showed some signs being taken away by media outlets leaving the Pentagon.

The original CNN media workspace now empty

Media signs removed during the evacuation

From the above photos and an incomplete list mentioned in some reports, it is known that among them are well-known media outlets such as ABC, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, and the New York Times (NYT), even Fox News, which has long been regarded as a political ally of the Trump group; some professional military media such as Defense News and Stars and Strips were also included.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562396275212993043/

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