Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a “bye, bye” emoji on social media as news organization after news organization announced Monday that they will not be abiding by his new media policy.
The tool doesn’t seem to understand that he’s signing his own death warrant with the policy, which bars organizations that report on DoD matters using sources not preapproved by the Pentagon from being able to access the physical building.
ICYMI
Even Newsmax, which doesn’t jump until it asks somebody in the Trump inner circle “how high,” isn’t signing on – as is the case with the Washington Post, which the Amazon guy, Jeff Bazos, has remade into a MAGA news rag; The Hill, which is owned by Nexstar, the media company that pre-empted Jimmy Kimmel at the insistence of the Trumpers; and CNN, which is positioning itself as Fox News-lite in its latest doomed effort to remain relevant.
The actual Fox News hasn’t signaled, at this writing, what it plans to do, ahead of the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline set by Hegseth.
Neither has NBC or CBS – CBS News, now under the watch of Bari Weiss, who used to identify as a centrist Trump blogger.
In addition to the emojis, Hegseth posted this message to his socials:
“Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right. So, here is @DeptofWar press credentialing FOR DUMMIES: Press no longer roams free. Press must wear visible badge. Credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts. DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every U.S. military installation.”
The line about soliciting “criminal acts” is Hegseth conflating voluntary leaks of public information from Pentagon employees as being somehow criminal, which, it’s not.
Not that a meathead former National Guard weekend warrior-turned-Fox News backlister would be expected to get that.
Or that barring the media from the premises and from “every U.S. military installation” means, no more free PR featuring his dumb mug.
Media organizations seem to be getting what I’ve been saying for the past few months, that the threats from the Trumpers to ban media outlets from the White House and the Pentagon and other government areas doesn’t mean they have to stop reporting.
And in fact, the less time we spend covering and broadcasting their press conferences means, more time to do actual reporting.
ICYMI
In my 30 years in this business, the best stories I’ve had the opportunity to report had nothing to do with a press conference or official press release.
They’ve all involved tips from brave whistleblowers, and hours of digging through public records, and interviewing people to fact-check and corroborate.
As it stands, One America Network, which I am being told is an actual streaming TV network that dozens of people watch most days, is the last news organization standing at the Pentagon.
Translation: Pete Hegseth is about to go into witness protection, as the reporting on everything going on around the DoD gets scads more attention, because we’re not stuck having to have a camera at the ready whenever he snaps his fingers.
You can see how this is going to play out.
Oh, yeah, he’ll cave.
The only reason Trump hired the pushup guy in the first place was to look good on TV.
Hegseth not being on TV might as well not be the Secretary of Defense.
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Chris Graham
