The day Nancy Youssef, a journalist at The Atlantic magazine, returned her press accreditation at the Pentagon, grief welled up. She had walked the corridors of the United States Defense Headquarters for 18 years. Now she was no longer welcome, and together with about a hundred reporters she packed up and marched out.
The high-profile walkout was a consequence of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to block reporters who did not sign new directives for Pentagon coverage.
Now, a year later, journalists covering defense policy and national security testify to a radically changed work situation. It has become increasingly difficult to obtain information: the number of press conferences has decreased, obtaining public documents is a struggle and many sources are afraid.
- On several occasions, they have begun to investigate leaks and official spokespeople have also been interrogated with lie detectors. Many have concluded that it has become dangerous to have contact with the press. They can lose their jobs and risk other reprisals, says Nancy Youssef.
Senator Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and naval officer, has been threatened with a legal investigation and the loss of his military rank, following allegations that he leaked classified information. A retired general has applied for Canadian citizenship out of fear of something similar, according to NPR.
The picture is confirmed by other journalists DN is in contact with. Safety awareness has been raised and now primarily applies to work at home. Earlier this year, the FBI searched the home of a Washington Post reporter.
Another journalist who has covered national security for decades, and who, because of the sensitive subject, does not want to give his name, tells DN:
- I have installed alarms and cameras at home, in case the FBI shows up. If I leave the country, I have a contact card phone and keep my own mobile locked in the newsroom. I don't risk my cell phone being searched at the border on the way back into the US.
She has turned off the facial recognition system in order not to be forced to unlock the phone, and has sometimes left the country for a publication. The situation in the USA is reminiscent of what he has seen in countries in the Middle East - but he also believes that for historical reasons the Americans have high demands on openness.
- The quality of a democracy depends on the ability to get information. The more you know, the better decision you can make about who to vote for. It's something Americans expect, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are deeply rooted.
The number of disclosures shows that work continues, albeit under greater friction. But Nancy Youssef at The Atlantic believes that telephone interviews can never compensate for being on the ground, both in the Pentagon and out in the field.
- You feel the atmosphere, get to know people, understand what is happening - or what can happen. It is for the first time since the civil war (1861-1865, editor's note) that journalists can no longer follow the military, be on their warships, on missions - see and convey what war is, and how it goes.
Now the work is going on in obscurity.
- War is also hideously expensive, and fundamentally this applies to the right of all Americans to know what the government is doing and how their tax money is being used.
Both feel fully supported by their employers. But Nancy Youssef says there is a strong concern that the new climate will last.
- Our cohesion is strong, we are not discouraged and the response from outside has been fantastic. That's fine, of course - but we haven't been allowed back into the Pentagon.
