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By Jasmine Laws
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The Department of the Interior (DOI) has responded to anonymous criticism among its own employees, shared by the San Francisco outlet, SFGATE, regarding its introduction of a "media reporting tool."
According to a DOI internal communications platform seen by SFGATE, the tool was announced on February 4 and it was said that it would "ensure that all public-facing content focuses on ‘the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.'"
This tool comes as part of the DOI's Secretary’s Order 3431, or SO 3431, passed in May 2025, which implemented provisions outlined in President Donald Trump's Executive Order 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History' brought in on March 27, 2025.
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A DOI spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek that SFGATE's report was relating to SO 3431, but said that the outlet "continues to ignore the facts and mischaracterize this Department and the National Park Service."
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Why It Matters
Public response to the changes being made in National Parks is wide ranging. Some are becoming increasingly angered about how America's National Parks are being changed. At the end of last year, the Trump administration removed Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day and Juneteenth from the 2026 National Parks fee-free days, sparking notable backlash and lawmakers raised legislation to counter the move.
The DOI also announced an increase in fees for foreign visitors, and new digital "America the Beautiful" passes, with the president's face on them, which sparked a lawsuit. The Center for Biological Diversity filed the complaint claiming the move violated federal law. It was also announced that any National Park visitors who covered Trump’s face on these passes could find their pass voided.
However, others have been much more supportive, applauding the lower costs offered to Americans through the "America-first" pricing model, while some have supported the administration's focus on celebrating American patriotism.
What To Know
The media reporting tool is being used as part of the Department's consolidation of communications functions, the DOI spokesperson told Newsweek. They said this was to "ensure clarity, consistency and accountability in how information is shared with the public. That structure has already been communicated publicly."
Per the SFGATE report, National Park Service (NPS) employees speaking on the condition of anonymity have allegedly said that they feel the tool is being brought in as a kind of censorship.
"Everything has to be approved before we speak. Everything," one communications employee told the outlet.
Former Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, who worked for the agency for 40 years, also told SFGATE that communications professionals needing approval from Washington to send out simple news releases under this rule was "just idiotic."
He added that it "exemplifies the lack of trust with the field managers, and ignorance of how parks need to communicate regularly with visitors, communities and stakeholders. It’s unprecedented and a mess."
The DOI spokesperson told Newsweek that public affairs employees are "not being asked to personally approve or clear every social media post or web update."
"Rather, the Department has clarified that managing official public-facing content is a public affairs function, consistent with long-standing federal practice," they added.
The spokesperson also said that "anonymous claims to the contrary have repeatedly mischaracterized both this administration and how the Department operates."
"These narratives are not grounded in fact and often reflect personal or political viewpoints rather than established policy. Federal employees are paid by taxpayers to carry out their assigned duties within defined roles, not to spread inaccurate or misleading claims about Department operations," they said.
What Is The 'SO 3431' Directive?
According to the order, SO 3431, the Secretary of the Interior was directed to "review public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties" within the DOI's jurisdiction, and to "restore federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage."
The order notes that the natural and historical resources recognized by the DOI should "accurately reflect American history and not partisan ideology."
It adds that this means the DOI is directed to ensure all public monuments and memorials "do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)," instead focusing on the "greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people."
This means that the DOI's order required the department to review properties and landmarks for "inappropriate content" that was not in keeping with the executive order.
The DOI spokesperson told Newsweek the order "directed a review of certain interpretive content to ensure parks tell the full and accurate story of American history, including subjects that were minimized or omitted under the last administration."
They added: "That includes fully addressing slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, and other foundational chapters of our history, informed by current scholarship and expert review, not through a narrow ideological lens."
NPS Removes, Reviews 'Concerning' National Park Content
Following the order, the National Park Service (NPS) has been flagging various exhibitions and signs for review because of "concerning" content, and some have already been removed.
An exhibit about slavery at the President’s House memorial in Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, was removed last month, and last year signs discussing climate change, sea level rise, LGBTQ rights, slavery and racism at various parks were flagged for review.
At Sitka National Historical Park in Alaska, a panel about missionaries who sought to destroy the language and culture of Alaska Natives and forcefully remove them from their lands was also flagged for review.
Recently, the Trump administration also removed an LGBTQ Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, which was the country’s first national monument to LGBTQ rights.
A sign at Grand Teton National Park about an explorer who participated in, and bragged about, a massacre of Native Americans has also recently been removed.
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