For the first time in more than 60 years, CBS News will close out the week without a workspace in the Pentagon after declining along with nearly every major news organization to sign onto new press requirements. Reporters’ associations say the requirements could infringe on their First Amendment rights.
During D-Day, CBS News radio correspondent Joseph F. McCaffrey reported live from the Pentagon about strategy and General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s background:
“Most of the plotting, the working, the split-haired timing was done in this building. Although only a chosen few knew when the day would arrive, the atmosphere here in the Pentagon building has been tense for several weeks.”
CBS News had radio correspondents in the building since the 1940s and a TV network booth, or mini-office, in an area designated for media since the 1970s. Over the past two decades, as networks have gone live from the building, journalists relay information to the public directly from the Pentagon.
Longtime pentagon coverage by CBS News
CBS News chief national security correspondent David Martin has broken countless stories from the Pentagon, receiving first press badge in 1983. His longtime producer, ⅚, joined a decade later. The duo covered military conflicts, highlighting service members’ lives and stories of valor.“I’m proud of the work David Martin and I have done, telling stories of valor on the battlefield and courage and resilience at Walter Reed,” Walsh wrote in an email.
Many stories emerged from relationships built due to CBS News’ constant presence inside the Pentagon. Martin reflected on the importance of being physically present:
“Walking the halls of the Pentagon was my M.O. for 40 years. I would guess that 90% of the stories I broke were a result of being in the hallways and visiting officials in their offices.”
Impact of new press restrictions
The Pentagon’s new policy aims to prevent press leaks and exercise control over military stories. A memo in September mandated journalists sign an agreement requiring formal authorization to publish classified or controlled unclassified information. The vast majority of news organizations, including CBS News, declined to sign. Far-right outlet One America News Network did agree to the new restrictions.
Despite turning in their credentials, CBS News journalists will continue reporting from the Pentagon remotely, maintaining coverage of the U.S. military and global conflicts.
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