On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Fox News Contributor and George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley said that new rules on reporting by the Pentagon are “quite breathtaking in terms of its implications for the free press. There is no precedent for what they’re doing here.” And “simply a bridge too far. It really does raise core press protections, and it would devastate the press corps in the Pentagon.”
After host Bret Baier read from a portion that said information has to be approved by an official, even if it isn’t classified, Turley said, “[T]his is actually quite breathtaking in terms of its implications for the free press. There is no precedent for what they’re doing here. Now, it is true that access is something that is a privilege. At the CIA, reporters, journalists are not allowed just to wander as widely as they do in the Pentagon. But the Pentagon has had a long tradition of allowing the media to work with its own representatives in getting the story right. Now, there have been times where the press has published what was classified information. Some of those cases are the most significant in our country, like the Pentagon Papers, that produced great reforms, that informed the public of things that they had to know about. This measure is simply a bridge too far. It really does raise core press protections, and it would devastate the press corps in the Pentagon.”
In response to a portion of the rules saying that individuals may lose their credentials if they are determined to pose a “risk” to Pentagon personnel or property, Turley added, “[T]he problem is that it has endless possibilities of interpretation. What does it mean to be a risk? The inclusion of what’s called CUI information really bowled many of us over. That is unclassified information. And so, what they’re basically saying is, if you publish anything that’s not in the press release, that’s not the official statement of the Pentagon, you could be held responsible under this policy. That is going to create a stranglehold on the free press. And the cost is too great.”
Turley concluded that outlets tend to work with the Pentagon to avoid endangering lives, but “This is really limitless in terms of the level of control that would be exercised by people given access to the Pentagon.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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