NASA PAO 2.0?
Keith’s note: The Department of Defense War is now cracking down on journalists who wish to commit acts of actual journalism at DOD DOW. Since NASA’s role has now been formally redefined by Executive Order 14343 as having “a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work” what can we expect in terms of how NASA PAO (Public Affairs Office) interacts with media? This may be a stretch – and it would certainly be a departure for NASA’s long-standing practice – but here is a possible preview: According to “Pentagon demands journalists pledge to not obtain unauthorized material” in the Washington Post: “The Trump administration unveiled a new crackdown Friday on journalists at the Pentagon, saying it will require them to pledge they won’t gather any information — even unclassified — that hasn’t been expressly authorized for release, and will revoke the press credentials of those who do not obey. Under the policy, the Pentagon may revoke press passes for anyone it deems a security threat. Possessing confidential or unauthorized information, under the new rules, would be grounds for a journalist’s press pass to be revoked.” Just sayin’.
4 responses to “NASA PAO 2.0?”
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It wouldn’t surprise me, at all, if this policy goes government wide. Let’s see how many journalists are willing to take the pledge at DoD/W. Hope I’m wrong, but I suspect a shocking number will. This is going to be a test case for other agencies.
Keith,
You often gather information from sources, and post it here. Does this mean you could be arrested for violating the Executive Order?
And what about scientists gathering data from their on orbit instruments? They are allowed a period of time to write their own papers, etc. and at some point all the data is made public. Is this model of disseminating scientific data also going to be thwarted by the EO?
I don’t get the feeling anyone on the 9th floor thought about the implication of this EO. Perhaps Congress can pass a law the thwarts the EO.
Sheesh, what a mess
There are some people at NASA who’d certainly like to lock me up 😉
It’s still Department of Defense. Only Congress can change the name.