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The Defense Department announced sweeping new restrictions Friday on how reporters can cover the Pentagon, requiring all information — even if unclassified — to be approved by officials before publication. Journalists who refuse to sign the new agreement risk losing their credentials and access to the building.
The rules, laid out in a late-afternoon memo to the Pentagon press corps, represent a historic shift in how the U.S. military engages with the media. For decades, credentialed reporters with badges were free to walk the building — with exceptions for secure areas — and gather information directly from officials and staff.
Under the new system, access will be sharply curtailed, with reporters limited to specific areas and escorted if they need to enter restricted zones. More significantly, any information reporters gather must be cleared for public release by “an appropriate authorizing official,” the memo states.
Backlash from Press Groups
The announcement was met with immediate condemnation from journalism organizations, which called it a blatant attack on press freedom.
“This is a direct assault on independent journalism at the very place where independent scrutiny matters most: the U.S. military,” said Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club.
Balsamo warned that Pentagon coverage would no longer reflect independent reporting: “If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American.”
The Society of Professional Journalists echoed those concerns, denouncing the rules as “prior restraint — the most egregious violation of press freedom under the First Amendment.”
Political Pushback
Democratic lawmakers also voiced opposition. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the restrictions as “an ill-advised affront to free speech and freedom of the press.”
“American journalists are not, should not, and must not be mere stenographers for the party in power or the Pentagon itself,” Reed said.
Pentagon Defense
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the move in a post on X, writing: “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do.”
The Pentagon memo framed the rules as part of a broader security overhaul, noting that defense information must be “safeguarded” to prevent leaks of classified material. Officials also cited “security risks” as justification for revoking or denying badges to reporters who violate the new policy.
The Department of Defense, rebranded earlier this year with the secondary name “Department of War,” also emphasized that controlled unclassified information (CUI) may only be shared with individuals who have official authorization, signed nondisclosure agreements, and a “need-to-know.”
A Pattern of Restricting Access
This latest step continues a trend under the Trump administration and Hegseth’s leadership to limit journalists’ ability to report freely inside the Pentagon. Earlier this year, reporters were restricted to the press office and cafeteria areas, ending decades of open access to most hallways and offices.
Critics say the escalating restrictions are designed to shield the Pentagon from scrutiny at a time of heightened global tensions and military spending.
“This policy is a dangerous step toward government censorship,” the Society of Professional Journalists warned. “Attempts to silence the press under the guise of ‘security’ are part of a disturbing pattern of growing government hostility toward transparency and democratic norms.”
