The Trump administration said Thursday that some members of the Pentagon press corps were “bullied” into joining the walkout over the War Department’s new media policy.
In a post on X, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said a few reporters were “threatened with retaliation” if they agreed to the Pentagon’s new set of rules governing how reporters interact with department officials.
The policy includes a ban on reporting on classified information.
“[A] few reporters … have privately said they were bullied into participating in the walkout when they actually wanted to stay. They were physically confronted and threatened with retaliation if they didn’t join the protest,” Cheung said in the post.
Dozens of journalists covering the Pentagon turned in their credentials and left their offices Wednesday. At least 30 news organizations, including Newsmax, declined to sign the new policy.
Newsmax emphasized its long-standing commitment to the constitutional rights of a free press and free speech — principles that the outlet has frequently defended in the face of political and institutional pressure.
“We believe those rights extend to all press institutions, even ones we disagree with. We believe Newsmax has the right to publish classified information without permission of the government. We cannot sign a letter that says we do not,” the company said this week.
Only one TV network, One America News, agreed to adhere to the policy, Mediaite reported. Just 15 people overall, including members of The Federalist and The Epoch Times, signed the policy, The Washington Post reported.
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