Fox News Rebukes Ex-Host Pete Hegseth's Pentagon Press Access Policy

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Oct 14, 2025 at 01:19 PM EDT updated Oct 14, 2025 at 02:08 PM EDT


Fox News has joined other major media outlets in rejecting and criticizing a new Pentagon press access policy put forward by President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who previously worked as a contributor and co-host at Fox News. "The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections," Fox News said in a statement emailed to Newsweek, which was joined by ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for comment on Tuesday.

Why It Matters

The Pentagon has been fielding concerns from media outlets in recent weeks over its plans to change its policies around reporting on goings on at the Department of Defense's HQ. The decision by Fox News to speak out against the plans, as a right-leaning outlet, may come as more of a blow to the Trump administration than from legacy media often denounced by the current White House.

What to Know

The main issue around the policy comes down to how information is shared with reporters. The initial plan called for all department information, whether classified or not, to be run past Pentagon officials before an outlet could be allowed to publish an article.

In the statement shared with Newsweek by Fox News, the group of media outlets said: "Today, we join 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.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-pentagon-press-access-fox-news-10878748

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Only ONE outlet signed it - OAN - Only one news outlet has signed on to Hegseth’s media loyalty oath — even Trump-favoring Fox News is boycotting it

[Champp]

1. When even the G.O.P toadies get "concerned"

You know the Trumpies are darksiding...

[Skittles]

2. yup

it's a hopeful sign that even rightwing trash may be waking up a bit

[ificandream]

3. Even a broken clock is right once a day.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. 'The Daily Show' mockingly agrees to Hegseth's press restrictions

Link to tweet

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5558261-daily-show-hegseths-pentagon-press-rules/

Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” poked fun at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday by mockingly agreeing to his new press restrictions at the Pentagon.

“After serious consideration, The Daily Show has agreed to the Pentagon’s new demands regarding press access,” the show said in a graphic posted on social media. “We were going to refuse, but everyone else rejected it so hard that it honestly made us feel kinda bad for Pete Hegseth.”

The statement went on to say of Hegseth, “the poor guy couldn’t even get Fox News to sign on and he worked for them a few months ago.”

“Even Newsmax refused. Brutal!” it said. “So we’re going to join in. Just so One America isn’t the only signature on this thing. It’s all just too humiliating.”.....

All of the nation’s major news organizations, including The Hill, have refused to sign the new policy, with a number of the major broadcast and cable news networks issuing a joint statement this week blasting the restrictions calling it “without precedent” and saying it “threatens core journalistic protections.”