In a significant move on Friday, the Pentagon announced fresh restrictions on reporters covering the Department of Defense. Journalists will now be required to formally pledge that they will not gather or utilize any information not explicitly authorized for public release. Non-compliance could result in the immediate revocation of their credentials to report on military matters.
This new mandate, detailed in a memo circulated to the press on Friday, marks another instance in a series of efforts by the current administration to curb the media’s ability to independently report on the federal government.
While the 17-page document states that the Department of Defense remains “committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust,” it emphasizes that “information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
Furthermore, the new rules severely limit media movement within the Pentagon itself. Extensive areas of the building are now designated as off-limits without official escorts for the approximately 90 credentialed reporters. Previously, the Pentagon press corps enjoyed unescorted access throughout much of the building’s common areas and hallways.
This policy has the potential to drastically reduce the public’s access to information regarding the U.S. military. The National Press Club swiftly condemned the policy as “a direct assault on independent journalism,” calling for its immediate reversal.
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, defended the guidelines, asserting that they are “already in line with every other military base in the country” and represent “basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information.”
The Pentagon’s strained relationship with the news media mirrors a broader sentiment within the Trump administration. The White House has a history of restricting access to news organizations whose coverage it deems unfavorable, and President Trump himself has pursued legal action against several media outlets for their reporting.
Adding to the climate of press intimidation, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, recently threatened television stations with “fines or license revocation.” This threat followed comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC, which featured comments perceived by some as critical of the Make America Great Again movement and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week. ABC subsequently indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s show.
The Defense Department has been a particular focus of media scrutiny this year. Outlets revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had disclosed classified war plans in a private group chat that included a reporter, and that he had invited billionaire Elon Musk to a briefing on highly sensitive government plans in the event of war with China. More recently, questions have arisen about the legality of two military strikes on Venezuelan boats that resulted in 14 deaths. On Friday, President Trump announced that a third Venezuelan boat had been destroyed by the government, killing three more people.
Under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership, the Pentagon has systematically imposed restraints on the news media. This began in late January with the decision to remove four outlets from their Pentagon workspaces, reallocating those spaces to news sources, such as Breitbart News, that the administration considered more favorable in their coverage.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has adopted an increasingly confrontational stance with the press. He has repeatedly accused journalists of attempting to “sabotage” President Trump’s agenda by publishing information leaked by “disgruntled former employees.” He has held only one press briefing, following a military strike on Iran in June.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do,” Hegseth declared on X on Friday.
President Trump, for his part, publicly suggested on Thursday that news outlets should face penalties for negative coverage of his presidency.
“They give me only bad publicity or press,” he stated. “I mean, they’re getting a license, I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did not respond to inquiries about the timing of these new guidelines or whether the White House influenced their implementation. The White House also did not immediately comment on the development.
The new pledge explicitly requires journalists to acknowledge in writing that acquiring or using unauthorized information will be grounds for “immediate suspension” of their Pentagon access. This definition of “off-limits” information includes both classified materials and “controlled unclassified information” – a broadly defined category encompassing materials that, if released publicly, could supposedly pose a risk to national security.
It remains unclear whether this prohibition extends to actively soliciting information from Defense Department staff or seeking confirmation or comment on materials obtained through alternative channels.
The Pentagon Press Association issued a statement acknowledging that it was “aware of today’s new directive regarding badge access to the Pentagon and is reviewing it.”
Seth Stern, the director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, asserted that the government is legally barred from demanding that journalists relinquish their right to investigate the government in exchange for access or credentials.
“This policy operates as a prior restraint on publication which is considered the most serious of First Amendment violations,” Stern said. “The government cannot prohibit journalists from public information merely by claiming it’s a secret or even a national security threat.”