Peter the Inebriated has issued his latest edict even Fox says HELL NO
What does it take for the Right to recognize that this Department of Defense is careening into disaster?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pentagon … bb20d3f53b
This will simply not fly anywhere…….It's like Pete wants these reporters to be North Korean-style propagandists where they only repeat government talking points. They are basically saying the act of reporting, the act of getting the real story behind the scenes, is a criminal act.
The First Amendment is clear: the government can't stop a free press.
This order is unconstitutional and un-American.Conservatives seem more than happy with encroaching despotism. This is unheard of and unacceptable from any angle. Can i get just a few of the rightwings to come up from the under the floor boards and comment? Can someone tell me why the press is such a threat to this Defense Secretary?
Well, I dunno. The conservatives I've heard do seem to have a problem with it. You said so yourself when you pointed to Fox News' statement.
Where are you hearing conservatives say they like it?
Move your foot so I can get back under the floorboards. The guys you want are in the basement.
GAWell then, they are in the basement. There has been no comment from conservatives who have objections , if they don’t like it they surely have not indicated such. From what i have read, the MAGA people are going along with it. The president stated that he supported it, that represents a lot of conservative thought right there.
You probably have heard what you said.
I was relieved to see Fox News criticize it, and the few blurbs I came across spoke of a letter of refusal from most of the major MSM players. I didn't go anywhere where I heard any approvals. *shrug*
Without using your adjectives, I also think it's a bad idea that won't stand. Here's a mental image for you: my first thought was of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam.
Remember the big twins in the radio station's censors' office? (I think they used red ink markers for deletions. Remember Williams mimicking the teletype machine sound?
If you don't, youtube it for 5 minutes, the clips are famous, you'll get a chuckle, and that's the picture that came to mind.
GA
Hi guys, I'm here as the official representative of the newly labeled Basement Dwellers Association.
Today's discussion seems to revolve around the Pentagon's change to its rules for journalists who cover the Department of Defense, journalists must sign a pledge not to gather any information, including unclassified reports, that hasn’t been authorized for release.
“DoW remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust,” the document said. “However, DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do.” ... posted on X. “The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home,”
Earlier this year, Hegseth announced new rules limiting reporters’ ability to move freely through the Pentagon without an approved escort.
Couple things I am thinking of... based on experience, the Media (left and right and everything in between) is usually feeding the American public a bunch of BS and has been for decades.
Only years after the fact (if ever) does the truth come out regarding what they are reporting. WMDs anyone?
Also, I don't think this is due to the new emphasis on targeting fat Generals who can't pass PT tests or who are driven by ideology that supersedes any other commitment they have ... but who knows?
I do know things are getting tense with China... I know we are doing all the things you would expect to be seeing done (not fast enough or with enough urgency IMO) by a country that is preparing for hostile relations with an equally powerful nemesis nation.
I understand the risk BRICS poses... the risk of the war with Russia escalating... the risk of China gaining access to critical information in the Pentagon goes up with every un-Patriotic person who enters it.
IF... IF...
If we were NOT in the still early stages of WWIII... yes I would be more apt to see it as troublesome.
BUT...BUT...
We ARE in the early stages of WWIII... something I mapped out years ago, something I predicted years ago... something the Biden Administration made all but impossible to avoid.
Yeah... I still see things from a Military/Strategic background... it was what I was good at. I was the first person to ever defeat the folks running the sim center in Benning, broke their 8 year streak...
Anywho... whether the media tells the American people or not... we are in a war against China (and NK and Iran and Russia and probably others) right now its mostly a financial and information war... but its heating up.
And then we have the 'enemies within' that need to be rooted out as well.
So yeah... time to go back to the Basement.That isn't a radical 'basement' idea. I think it is more right than wrong. Especially the "fat generals" part. They were just the 'visual' used to make the point.
But . .. "All DoD information, classified or unclassified, must be approved for public release by an official prior to publication," is a step too far. Hence the Good Morning Vietnam image.
Access restrictions make sense (no more 'roaming the halls'); requiring approval for unclassified information publication doesn't.
GAI think it is particular to those in/covering the Pentagon... I think it is meant as an extra precaution... Exactly what one would expect as we near being on wartime footing.
Access to information gets tightened... how it gets disseminated stricter.You're giving it the 'benefit of the doubt,' I'm not. I think it's a misstep.
Even if your scenario is as dire as you say, relative to public perception (if not actual reality), Hegseth's public rationalizations were the least best option.
It instantly created resistance, relative to an issue everybody claims is core: freedom of the press.
The new 'Warrior ethos' environment should make 'policing the ranks' relative to "Loose Lips Sink Ships" issues a lot easier. Speak when you know you shouldn't and ruin your career. Harsh, but not censorship.
Restricting access to established areas or 'zones' also seems an easy fix. 'Roaming the halls' may or may not be an accurate descriptor, but it conveys the meaning. Reporters might complain about reduced opportunities to casually interact, but the Pentagon shouldn't be a casual place; but, at least it wouldn't be pre-publication censorship.
That feels safe, even knowing that not only don't I know what I probably should before speaking, I also don't know what I don't know, but it still seems reasonable to me. ;-)
GAPerhaps...
I see it as one more justifiable 'black eye' to the media... fake news ... can't be trusted to tell the truth... willing to expose any secret for 'the cause' no matter who it may put in harm's way... or maybe because it puts them in harm's way.
You perhaps see the likes of CNN and MSNBC and FOX as news worthy of consumption... I see it all as dumpster fire trash doing far more harm to America than good... not exposing real issues but covering them up... fabricating lies and doubling down on them.
Whether it is WMDs as the cause for the Iraq War... or two years' worth of Trump is a Russian puppet... or Jan 6th was worse than Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined and all those involved should be hanged as traitors... we are winning the war in Ukraine and Russia will collapse in months...
It is just constant nonstop BS... unworthy of a serious mind's attention, and sadly there are so few serious minds in America free from its nonsense today.I think the "black eye" was on Hegseth. And it wasn't necessary. Do you think my suggestions wouldn't have accomplished the same practical effect?
Do you think the purposeful confrontation was also necessary to ensure the program could be effective?
GAI'm not sure...
I recognize how people under the age of 40 are processing information and where they are getting their "news" from is very different from the over 55 crowd, many of whom actually think the "news" is still news.
As I have often stated... from CNN to FOX... it is all garbage... it is biased baloney... and the overwhelming majority of young Americans pay it no mind.
You see this as an unjustified attack on the "Free Press"... there are those that will see it as the "fake news" getting their comeuppance... there will even be some that see it like I do, a necessary protection from people who have no interest in protecting military secrets, military personnel, or the best interests of the US of A.
Ken, I believe Secretary Hegseth’s new rules, both on military discipline and on press access, are a breath of fresh air, because they’re common-sense measures grounded in order, accountability, and responsibility. Concerning press access at the Pentagon, the requirement that journalists sign a pledge not to gather unapproved information (even if unclassified), plus the restriction of unescorted movement through certain areas, makes sense when viewed through the lens of national security. It’s reasonable that areas housing sensitive operations or leadership, offices of the Secretary, senior aides, the Joint Chiefs, etc., should require oversight or escort, just as other secure facilities do. Requiring visible badges and clearer identifiers for press is also common sense; knowing who has access and ensuring credentials are clear helps maintain security while still allowing transparency.
The idea that access is a privilege, not a right, is not about suppressing journalism but about striking a balance: the public deserves accountability, but the military has legitimate secrets and operational details that, if leaked, could compromise safety or strategy. By setting clear rules, Hegseth ensures that reporters understand where the lines are, which helps prevent accidental leaks and reduces confusion. In my view, these changes reinforce professionalism all around, both within the Pentagon and in journalism, by holding everyone to defined standards. I support these press-rules because they help preserve both security and credible reporting.Pure fascism..government control over information and the suppression of independent news are hallmarks of authoritarian and fascist regimes....
But yeah, that's what pleases some... Suppression and intimidation of opposition. America under Trump is fully fascist
Oh, I just have to jump in—normally, I write mile-long comments, but not this time… no need. First, the article was from Huff&Puff Post, and by the second paragraph, seeing the word “outrageous” told me it was over. Ken, I only need one word to respond to your view—BINGO!
Can’t you see what drunky Petey is doing? Why should any press organization allow themselves to be spoon fed by the defense department? The conservatives irritate me so often. This has never been done before and you all act as if it is not a “big deal”. Well, i think that one of the largest recipients of our tax money needs to have oversight and be held accountable for its actions. How can your people so easily succumb to tyranny?
You are voicing concerns from a civilian perspective... You know better, or should.
I see this as the steps a government takes when it knows war is at hand. And when you are trying to shut down the flow of information to foreign enemies that until recently flowed far more freely than it should have.
Sad that today we depend on China for about 80% of the replacement parts for our military equipment...
Sad that so many of China's military vehicles show very similar (if not exact) advances that we see in our most advanced military designs.
Recently during that massive military parade China had that NK, Russia, and other world leaders attended, Chinese outlets noted/bragged they had reverse engineered what we have so that they could develop the perfect missiles and torpedoes to destroy our fleets and ground forces.We are talking about unclassified information, Ken, and we have had war and war being imminent before, Pete is making an excuse not to be candid where every defense department before him never needed to muzzle the press. What does China and North Korea have to do with it? Why should I just take Hegseth’s word on anything?
We are talking about people who have access inside the Pentagon getting approval of information they are going to release to the rest of the world ahead of doing so.
If they can't tolerate the Pentagon double checking to ensure no critical information is being released (as HAS happened recently) in an effort for some biased journalist to 'score points' against the Trump Administration or to 'gain notoriety'... and in doing so putting US Forces at risk, or compromising ongoing military operations... tough F'n Shit.
We are not at peace... we are at war with MULTIPLE nations... whether you want to accept that fact or not... whether your beloved Leftwing Lunacy Media tells you this or not.Sorry, Ken, to reminisce, but I loved this and the attitude of a real leader that was behind it. Who after the Bay of Pigs disaster owned up to it, took responsibility without coverups, excuses or blaming others. Where has all of that gone? He was never afraid of the challenge posed by the press.
———
During an April 1961 address to the American Newspaper Publishers Association, John F. Kennedy said his administration intended to "be candid about its errors". He emphasized that acknowledging mistakes is crucial for success and that a democracy cannot survive without debate and criticism.
Key points from Kennedy's address
Kennedy stated that his administration would be open about its errors, referencing the idea that an error becomes a mistake only when not corrected.
He emphasized that they would accept responsibility for their errors and expected the press and public to highlight them.
Kennedy stressed that debate and criticism are essential for the success of any administration and the survival of a republic. He also welcomed controversy among newspaper readers.
The speech criticized censorship and secrecy, with Kennedy stating that no official should use his words as justification to censor news, stifle dissent, hide mistakes, or withhold facts.
This address occurred during the Cold War, shortly after the Bay of Pigs invasion, for which Kennedy took responsibility.
—————-
Why would you accept the principle of accountability and oversight regarding candid information about how that department is being run solely from the Department Head? Why would I expect him to rely honestly and accurate information if it would lead to criticism?
In my world, there can be no entity in government that is above the need for oversight, and the press is part of that. Every relevant press organization is walking out of DOD and will do the needed investigative reporting from a safe distance, and it will not stop. This is going to blow up in Hegseth”s face, you can count on it. There is a difference between classified information and information that it is not convenient for Hegseth and his department to release. Otherwise, how is the agency being held accountable, I don’t trust Trump to rein anything in? We cannot use military exigency as some cavalier excuse to censor information from the public. This is an ominous trend that is pure Trump and will be criticized and challenged by the left and even moderates.
I thought that you said that Biden was responsible for all the wars, so now under Trump we are at war with multiple nations?JFK was a great leader a great politician... but he was fallible...
Choosing to promise to tear the CIA into a thousand pieces while assigning RFK to tear apart the Mob...
That openness... didn't serve him so well. Not recognizing that there were those willing to do whatever it took... that there was an enemy within just as (if not more) dangerous than the foreign ones outside our borders.
Do you remember when this happened?
Did a Text Message Just Compromise U.S. Military Operations?
https://www.republicworld.com/defence/g … ntrol-mode
The situation took a bizarre turn when it was revealed that The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally included in the chat, giving the press a front-row seat to sensitive military discussions.
Goldberg wrote that the conversation in the Signal group chat culminated in Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sharing highly sensitive and classified details about the Pentagon's plan to carry out military air strikes against the Houthis, who have been launching attacks on Western commercial vessels in the Red Sea for more than a year.
Goldberg wrote that it started on Tuesday, March 11, when he got a request to connect from someone identified as "Michael Waltz."
Mike Waltz is President Donald Trump's national security adviser.
Two days later, on March 13, Goldberg said the user identified as Waltz added him to a Signal group chat called "Houthi PC small group."
The user sent the following message to the group, according to Goldberg: "Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the [Situation Room] this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening."
A minute after "Michael Waltz" sent the message, a Signal user identified as "MAR" wrote, "Mike Needham for State." Trump's secretary of state is Marco Antonio Rubio.
Another user identifed as "JD Vance" chimed in with who would represent the "VP," and one minute later, someone with the initials "TG" wrote, "Joe Kent for [the Director of National Intelligence]."
Trump's DNI is former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
Shortly after, a Signal user identified as "Pete Hegseth" wrote that someone named Dan Caldwell would be in for "DoD," referring to the Pentagon.
Several other users on the chain also replied with the names of people who would represent the Treasury secretary, the National Security Council and the CIA in the discussions.
Goldberg wrote that he was deeply skeptical at first that the group chat was legitimate because he couldn't fathom that senior U.S. national security officials, Cabinet secretaries and the vice president would be so reckless as to accidentally include a journalist in the message chain.
The officials discussed specific plans being drawn up to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen over the next two days, debating the pros and cons of carrying out the strikes. The user identified as Vice President Vance, notably, deviated from Trump's position on the strikes and said he thought the administration was "making a mistake."
He said he wasn't sure Trump was "aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now," per The Atlantic.
The person identifying as Vance went on to say he was "willing to support the consensus of the team" and keep his concerns to himself, but added that he felt there was a "strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc."
Hegseth disagreed, writing that delaying the bombing campaign would "not fundamentally change the calculus."
He went on to write that if the administration waited on launching the strikes, there was a risk that the plan could leak and that "we look indecisive."
"We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should," Hegseth wrote, according to Goldberg. "This [is] not about the Houthis. I see it as two things: 1) Restoring Freedom of Navigation, a core national interest; and 2) Reestablish deterrence, which [former President Joe Biden] cratered. "But, we can easily pause. And if we do, I will do all we can to enforce 100% [operations security]."
Operations security, or OPSEC, refers to the process of concealing critical information about a person, plan or conversation in order to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive data.
On Friday, March 15, at 11:44 a.m. ET, the user identified as Hegseth sent a "team update" in which he disclosed what Goldberg described as "operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing."
They went on to say that the first explosions in Yemen would be heard two hours later, at 1:45 p.m. ET., according to Goldberg.
At 1:55 p.m. ET, Goldberg saw reports on social media that explosions were being heard in the capital city of Sanaa.
-----
It's obviously a very serious mistake whoever included Goldberg in this chain-of-command messaging that involved war plans.
To have had somebody from The Atlantic on that chain, without question, was a f-up.
The White House obviously took that seriously... and this may be one such measure to ensure that such information never sees the light of day again while this Administration is running things. The last thing you want to do when you're talking about war plans is to have a serious leak like this that could undermine those plans and also jeopardize lives.
It is pure bullshyte to believe that the press access is a privilege. I will not abide with secret operations and cover ups associated with denying access. These people work for us and not the other way around. Conservatives have to be mindless to believe that this muzzling of press coverage has anything to do with national security. “National Security” a common theme used by tyrants to act outside and avoid public oversight.
This is an excuse and is completely unprecedented at least within this and over the last century of broadcast and print media. Tyrants and tyranny always are afraid of public scrutiny and oversight.
I call it as I see it.AI Overview:
During WWII, restrictions on military information included the censoring of news about troop movements, ship schedules, and military installations. The U.S. government established offices to create guidelines for voluntary censorship by media outlets, prohibiting sensitive topics and requiring official approval for release. These restrictions were intended to prevent information that could aid the enemy, and violations could lead to severe punishment.
END
You know better, we are in WWIII... when you accept that fact.... and it IS fact... you know the rules change regarding military information.“You know better, we are in WWIII... when you accept that fact.... and it IS fact... you know the rules change regarding military information.”
Yeah, i know better, alright. Ken, my bullshyte meter is on alert with the volume of an air raid siren. We are not formally at war, it has not been declared. I don’t know why you say we are? So, it is not a fact. SO, this is not WWII, so comparing pineapples with hand granades will not work. I thought Trump was supposed to keep us out of war, yet now we are at war?
“During World War II, the U.S. government did not dismiss the press entirely but instead implemented a system of censorship and propaganda. The Department of Defense did not exist during World War II; its precursor was the Department of War. The military, in cooperation with other federal agencies, worked to manage the flow of information to the public.”
That made sense under those circumstances, they are not akin to the present time.
———
Key facts about press relations during WWII:
The Office of Censorship was an independent federal agency created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 to censor all communications in and out of the U.S.. It implemented a "Code of Wartime Practices" that asked the media to voluntarily withhold sensitive information, including details about troop movements, military plans, and new weapons.
The Office of War Information (OWI) was another agency established in 1942 to produce and coordinate pro-war propaganda through radio, films, and posters. It worked to ensure that media outlets promoted morale and public support for the war effort.
————-
We were OFFICIALLY at war, Ken, that is a big difference.
———
“Voluntary cooperation from the press was a cornerstone of the system. Journalists largely cooperated with the censorship codes, partly out of a sense of patriotism and the understanding that secrecy was necessary for national security. Accredited war correspondents also had to agree to military censorship of their dispatches from the front lines.”
There was no reason to change that policy except for tyrants and tyranny looking for safe places in “the basement” . When the only information available to the press as to what DOD is doing and how its spends public money come from an individual with every reason to conceal unethical or illelicit behavior then it is a “bridge too far”.
———
Military press camps were established to facilitate reporters' access to military units and battlefronts, though all content was subject to military and federal censorship.
Dismissal of the press did occur in limited, targeted ways. For instance, during the war, some newspapers lost mailing privileges or were otherwise restricted due to editorial positions that opposed government policy, particularly under the Espionage and Sedition Acts.
—————-
In times of war, all of these precautions are understandable and necessary
Even then the press was not dismissed or muzzled under far more justifiable circumstances.
All of what you say here amounts to a DEFCON 5 on my world renowned bullshyte meter.It doesn't matter if it is declared or not... we are in it... been in it ever since Biden got his chance to play War President and think he was going to defeat Russia in six months to a year.
We are in a global struggle primarily against the Russia - China alliance that the Biden Administration all but forced into being.
It is now a coalition of Russia, North Korea and Iran... with China behind the scenes supporting them all.
Choosing to be willfully ignorant of it doesn't change it... whether it is 'officially' declared or not doesn't change it.
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