Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again.

So today, we're going to talk about Trump and Hegss's press play backfiring.

The Trump administration attempted to restrict journalism around the Pentagon.

Last month, the Pentagon unveiled new rules and said reporters would need to sign a pledge

to adhere to their new rules.

Journalists say the new rules limit journalists' rights to gather and report information

not officially authorized by the administration.

Hegeseth said that, quote,

Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right. That's a true enough statement. However,

the idea of printing something only if the Pentagon says it's okay is Orwellian,

and it might be literally Orwellian. A quote often attributed

to him that might be apocryphal is, quote, journalism is printing something that someone

doesn't want printed. Everything else is public relations. What seems like a desire to turn journalists into state

stenographers didn't go over well. All major outlets have so far refused to sign the pledge.

Even Newsmax refused to sign. If you're not familiar with it, it's a pretty pro-Trump outlet. The Pentagon Press

Association acknowledged that the Pentagon has a right to create policies within the law,

but also said, quote, there is no need or justification. However, for it to require reporters to affirm their understanding

of vague, likely unconstitutional policies as a precondition to reporting from Pentagon

facilities. A joint statement from ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Media, and NBC News, said, quote,

We joined virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon's new

requirements, which would restrict journalists' ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important

national security issues. The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections.

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