Pentagon Demands Journalists Not Publish 'Unauthorized Material'
Al Jazeera reports that US news outlets are balking at new Pentagon reporting restrictions, specifically a promise not to publish 'unauthorized material'. This, apparently, is where they draw the line. Yet, these same outlets routinely publish 'authorized material' from anonymous defense officials, neatly framing conflicts while memory-holing inconvenient facts like the 2018 Biden administration
memo pushing for increased arms sales to Israel, or the historical US vetoes (over 40 since 1970) protecting Israeli actions at the UN Security Council. It's almost as if 'unauthorized' means 'doesn't fit the narrative'. The outrage at the Pentagon's demands rings a bit hollow given the media's celebrated history of self-censorship on matters of empire. How many 'unauthorized' stories on AIPAC's
$30 million spending in the 2022 election cycle (OpenSecrets.org) or the staggering 2023 congressional vote for $14.5 billion in additional aid to Israel (HR 6126) actually make front-page news without polite sanitization? They object to a formal constraint, but happily uphold an informal one, ensuring that 'authorized material' continues to dominate the airwaves, shielding a reality that might
actually shock their viewers.