Members of the Pentagon press corps have written Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to request that journalists be embedded with U.S. troops deploying to Eastern Europe.
The Pentagon Press Association's letter follows similar calls from the Military Reporters and Editors Association (MREA), which wrote Austin during the weekend.
"The public in a democratic society deserves independent media coverage of their sons and daughters in uniform, and that cannot be provided today without first-hand, on-the-ground reporting of troop activities in Europe," The Pentagon Press Association board of directors wrote.
"For generations, news organizations have been informing the world about the service of American military members, and we simply want to continue to do that job."
The letter urges "an immediate end to this coverage ban," and adds that the White House Correspondents Association supports the request.
"The Biden administration can choose to enable timely coverage in Europe or it can obstruct the public's view of a military mission being paid for with taxpayer dollars," the PPS's letter said. "Thank you for considering our request."
The request was signed by The Pentagon Press Association board of directors: President Bob Burns, The Associated Press; Vice President Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One; Secretary Luis Martinez, ABC News; and at-large board member Barbara Starr, CNN.
CNN obtained a letter from Military.com, the Military Times, and Task & Purpose that said the outlets "strongly believe" the public has a "right to know how and what their troops are doing and how their tax dollars are spent," CNN reported.
The media outlet also reported that a Military Times reporter pressed Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby on the issue during Tuesday's media briefing.
Kirby responded that "the buck stops with" him since he is "responsible for decisions that are made about media access to our operations and to our people."
He added that the department is "working our way through what would be the appropriate level of media access here."
The MREA's letter to Austin said, "the recent deployment of American forces to Europe provides an opportunity for the U.S. military to showcase how the men and women in uniform undertake the mission asked of them by the U.S. government and the nation. The Military Reporters & Editors Association is formally asking the Defense Department to allow journalists to embed with the U.S. troops that have been selected to deploy to NATO's eastern flank."
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