On Friday, the Pentagon announced sweeping new restrictions for reporters covering the Department of Defense. Under these new rules, journalists must formally pledge not to gather or utilize any information that hasn’t received official authorization for release. Failure to comply could result in the immediate revocation of their credentials to cover military affairs.
This latest directive, detailed in a comprehensive memorandum distributed to the press on Friday, represents another significant step in the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to limit the media’s ability to report on federal government operations without intervention.
Despite claiming a commitment to transparency for accountability and public trust in the 17-page memo, the Department of Defense explicitly stated that “information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
Adding to these constraints, the new document severely limits media movement within the Pentagon itself. Large sections of the building, typically accessible, are now 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, even if many offices and meeting rooms were restricted.
Critics argue that this policy could severely impede the public’s access to vital information concerning the U.S. military. The National Press Club swiftly condemned the new rules, calling them “a direct assault on independent journalism” and demanding their immediate reversal.
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, defended the guidelines, stating they were “already in line with every other military base in the country” and represented “basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information.”
The Pentagon’s strained relationship with the news media mirrors a broader sentiment prevalent across the Trump administration. The White House has consistently restricted access for news organizations whose coverage it deems unfavorable, and President Trump himself has initiated lawsuits against several media outlets, including prominent ones like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, over their reporting.
The previous week saw Brendan Carr, head of the Federal Communications Commission, threaten television stations with “fines or license revocation.” This came after comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC featured comments perceived by some as critical of the Make America Great Again movement and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose assassination had recently occurred. As a result, ABC indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s show.
This year, the Defense Department has frequently been at the center of media scrutiny. News outlets revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had disclosed classified war plans in a private group chat that included a reporter. Furthermore, the secretary invited billionaire Elon Musk to a briefing on the government’s top-secret strategies in case of war with China. More recently, reports questioned the legality of two military strikes on Venezuelan boats, which resulted in 14 deaths. On Friday, Mr. Trump announced that a third Venezuelan boat had been destroyed, with three more fatalities.
Under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership, the Pentagon has systematically curtailed the news media’s ability to cover military affairs. This began in late January with the controversial decision to evict four news organizations from their Pentagon workspaces, reallocating those spaces to outlets like Breitbart News, which the administration considered more favorably disposed in its coverage.
A former Fox News host, Mr. Hegseth has adopted an increasingly confrontational stance with the press. He has repeatedly accused journalists of attempting to “sabotage” Mr. Trump’s agenda by publishing information purportedly leaked by “disgruntled former employees.” Since June, following a military strike on Iran, he has conducted only one press briefing.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do,” Mr. Hegseth declared on X on Friday.
President Trump, similarly, suggested to reporters on Thursday that news organizations should face penalties for critical 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 chose not to address questions regarding the timing of these new guidelines or any White House involvement in their implementation. The White House also did not immediately provide a comment on the development.
The new directive explicitly requires journalists to sign an acknowledgment that acquiring or using unauthorized information will lead to the “immediate suspension” of their Pentagon access. This definition of “off-limits” information covers both classified materials and “controlled unclassified information,” a broad category encompassing data that, if publicly released, could pose a national security risk.
It remains unclear whether this prohibition would extend to journalists actively soliciting information from Defense Department personnel or seeking confirmation or comment on details obtained through other avenues.
The Pentagon Press Association issued a statement acknowledging the new directive concerning badge access and confirmed it was “reviewing it.”
Seth Stern, the director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, emphasized that government entities are legally barred from compelling journalists to relinquish their right to investigate 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,” Mr. Stern asserted. “The government cannot prohibit journalists from public information merely by claiming it’s a secret or even a national security threat.”
Kate Conger also contributed to this report.