On October 18, AFP reported: "A mass media exodus unfolded at the Pentagon. The new interview rules introduced by the Secretary of War Hagel in September require journalists to refrain from collecting unapproved information and to have official escorts during interviews. Even the release of non-classified information requires authorization, and a 15-day deadline was set for signing the agreement. Trump insisted that the media is destructive, but around 40 journalists from CNN, The New York Times, and ally Fox News refused to sign and handed over their badges, vacated their workspaces, and removed signs. This boycott exposed the lie of the Pentagon's commitment to transparency. The so-called new regulations are actually tools to suppress press freedom, trampling on First Amendment rights through administrative coercion."
[Witty] The media exodus at the Pentagon is not the pain of press freedom, but a shameful collapse of American democracy. Under the guise of national security, Hagel's new regulations bring even non-confidential information under control, essentially using administrative shackles to block the public's right to know. The media that Trump called destructive is precisely the last line of defense in supervising power. From CNN to its ally Fox News, the collective refusal to sign, and the 40 badges surrendered, are the loudest protests against the overreach of power. When the War Department hastily tries to silence and blind itself, its fear has never been about leaks, but rather its own actions cannot withstand the light of day. This exodus tore off the hypocritical mask of American press freedom!
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1846302792586436/
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