A bold statement: Freedom of the press is under threat, and it's time to stand up for our right to know.
Today, NPR faces a difficult decision that highlights a growing concern for journalists and the public alike. We are choosing to part ways with the Pentagon due to a controversial new policy that threatens our ability to report freely.
The Defense Department has introduced a rule that could revoke press credentials for journalists who 'solicit' information, even if it's unclassified and not officially approved for release. This policy is unprecedented and, frankly, a threat to the very essence of journalism.
Imagine a world where journalists are reduced to mere mouthpieces, regurgitating press releases without question. That's the future we're facing if we sign this document. We would lose our role as watchdogs, a role that is crucial in holding government officials accountable.
No major news outlet, from NPR to the Washington Post, has signed this new rule. It's a united front against an attempt to control the narrative and limit our access to information.
I've held my Pentagon press pass for 28 years, and during that time, I've embedded with troops, walked the halls, and built relationships with officers from around the globe. I've solicited information, yes, because that's what journalists do. We uncover the truth, especially when it's hidden behind official statements.
Remember the fall of Baghdad in 2003? Then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was celebrating a supposed success. But an officer at the Pentagon told me a different story. He said it wasn't a success; Saddam Hussein's supporters were attacking supply lines, and more troops were needed. This was because the U.S. hadn't sent enough forces to begin with - a fact I reported on before the war even started.
My reporting helped people understand the reality on the ground. It showed that the fall of Baghdad was not a victory but the beginning of a long insurgency.
In 2009, when the Obama administration announced a 'surge' of State Department employees to Afghanistan, a Marine officer later told me they never saw that surge. And the 'government in a box' initiative to bring experienced Afghans to the provinces? It failed. One general advised, 'Next time they tell you there's a government in a box, check the box.'
I reported these stories because that's my job - to inform the public and hold the government accountable. Over the years, NPR reporters, producers, and I have spent time in combat zones, getting to know soldiers and Marines. We learned their perspectives, often vastly different from the official line at the Pentagon.
In June 2016, I was part of an NPR team embedded with Afghan forces to fact-check the official narrative that Afghan troops were making progress against the Taliban. Unfortunately, that day turned tragic. We lost two brave colleagues, photographer David Gilkey and translator Zabihullah Tammana, in an ambush. Producer Monika Evstatieva and I were also in that convoy and survived, but it was a devastating loss.
When we brought David and Zabi's bodies to an American base, the U.S. general there ordered an honor cordon, a tribute usually reserved for fallen troops. It was a powerful gesture, a recognition of the importance of their work in documenting the truth.
At NPR, we have a memorial to David and Zabi, including one of David's cameras, scorched and damaged, as a reminder of their sacrifice.
Our job is to uncover the truth, whether it's about failed policies, botched military operations, unnecessary deaths, or wasteful government projects. But now, we're facing a severe information drought from the Pentagon.
In the last 10 months, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given just two briefings, and there have been virtually no background briefings, which were once common whenever military action occurred. Previous administrations, even with acerbic figures like Rumsfeld, held regular press briefings to keep the public informed.
Thomas Jefferson, no friend of the press, understood the importance of a free press for our democracy. He wrote, 'Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.'
So, how will the American people know what's being done in their name, with their tax dollars, and, more importantly, the decisions that could put their loved ones in harm's way? Without reporters asking questions, the Pentagon leadership seems content with social media posts, short videos, and partisan interviews.
Is this good enough? I think not. It's time to fight for our right to know and for a free press.
