RTDNA stands with photojournalists, calls on DoD to reevaluate priorities

RTDNA President and CEO Tara Puckey released the following statement on the Department of Defense's reported decision to bar photojournalists from press events with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: 

"A government that bans journalists because it dislikes accurate photographs is a government that has confused public service with public relations. Photojournalists serve as the eyes of the public in halls of power where access is limited. The First Amendment doesn't give officials the right to a favorable record — it gives the public the right to an honest one. This decision from Secretary Hegseth doesn’t serve the American people; it serves only Secretary Hegseth’s ego. RTDNA stands with the journalists who were shut out, and we call on the Department of Defense to reverse its policies barring reporters and photographers from the Pentagon and rediscover why the First Amendment is the first amendment."