The US military has issued new media restrictions demanding that journalists pledge not to gather any information – including unclassified documents – that has not been authorized for release or else risk revocation of their press passes.
In a memo issued Thursday, the Pentagon stated that “it remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust”. However, using an abbreviation for the recently rebranded Department of War headed by the Trump administration’s Pete Hegseth, the memo added: “DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
It went on to say: “Only authorized persons who have received favorable determinations of eligibility for access, signed approved non-disclosure agreements, and have a need-to-know may be granted access to [classified national security information].”
Journalists reporting from the Pentagon are now required to sign a pledge agreeing to restrict their movements within the building and not to access any unauthorized materials. If they refuse to sign the pledge, their Pentagon press passes will be revoked.
In a post on X, Hegseth said Friday: “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon – the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules – or go home.”
This feels a lot like the Russian tactics they used in the Cold War before the USSR fell.
Nyet, that’s crazy talk.
BTW, Paul Weyrich, the guy that created the Heritage Foundation also helped sneak computers and other electronics into the Soviet Union and held mock elections to teach Soviet politicians about democracy in 1989.
In 1991 several members of Heritage formed the first of its kind go between for U.S. and Russia businesses to help them make the transition to capitalism.
But we just don’t talk about that apparently.
Somebody made a documentary about some of it in 2012 that aired once on PBS and then never again.
And then Weyrich gave a talk at a Christian college in 1996, and while taking questions from the audience he casually mentioned that as far as he knew, Gorbachev’s right hand man wanted to crack down on him while he was holding mock elections. He claims when Gorbachev responded in silence the right hand man left his office and allegedly began planning the coup the next day unbeknownst to anyone from the U.S.
And now here we are almost 40 years later, and shit seems to be coincidentally unfolding basically the exact same way as we continue to watch the Trump administration execute the publicly available playbook provided by Heritage.
Saving this comment for later so my wife and I can rage together.