Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images)
At 5:57 p.m. ET on Friday, as Pentagon reporters were logging off for the long weekend, the Pete Hegseth-led Department of Defense sent out a memo. The email informed the press corps that they had until the end of the business day Tuesday to sign the Trump administration’s restrictive new agreement that would dramatically curtail how journalists operate on Pentagon grounds.
“All media who choose not to sign the new In-Brief for Media Members are required to turn in their PFAC (Pentagon Facility Access Card, the credential that grants entry to the building) to the Pentagon Press operations office no later than 5 p.m. on October 15th,” the email warned, according to a copy obtained by Status.
By Monday evening, most major news organizations had publicly stated they would not sign the agreement, the rules of which are so overreaching that they forbid reporters from soliciting tips on social media, taking photographs on Pentagon grounds, or even sketching what they see while on the premises. CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Reuters, The Guardian, HuffPost, Newsmax, and others have all made clear they won't agree to the set of conditions.
Behind the scenes, Status has learned, television networks are coordinating a joint statement through the press pool, which means that…
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The NBC News logo at 30 Rock. (GHI-Plexi Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Status Scoop | The Coming NBC Cuts: The stage is set for a difficult week at 30 Rock. NBC News, Status has learned, is expected to begin a deep and painful round of layoffs Wednesday, with cuts likely continuing through Thursday. The cuts, Status is told, are expected to impact…
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