(WASHINGTON) – PEN America strongly condemns the decision by the Department of Defense to shut out news photojournalists from two briefings on the war with Iran, according to The Washington Post, after staff for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth apparently deemed press photos of him “unflattering.”
“The decision by the Department of Defense to bar press photographers from its increasingly rare briefings during a war — apparently because the Pentagon doesn’t like how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks in pictures — is a petty act of retaliation, even for an institution that had already forced the press corps out of the building because it couldn’t tolerate scrutiny of its decisions,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at PEN America. “Barring photojournalists from documenting official briefings amid rising global tensions deprives the public of independent reporting. The Pentagon should restore access for photographers and show enough confidence in its own decisions to bring back the press corps it booted simply for practicing journalism.”
The move fits a broader pattern across the administration of trying to intimidate journalists and control the narrative by restricting speech and coverage it dislikes, including the Pentagon’s decision to force out most of the press corps for refusing to sign sweeping restrictions on standard reporting practices.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057