The Pentagon introduced new rules on Friday for journalists covering the Defense Department (DOD), requiring them to agree not to publish unauthorized information, or they risk losing their access to the facility.
“The [Department of War] is dedicated to transparency in order to ensure accountability and public trust,” states a memo from the Defense Department, reflecting President Trump’s updated title, though it’s not official without Congressional approval. “However, any DoW information must receive authorization from a proper official before being publicly released, even if it is not classified.”
The department emphasized in the 17-page document shared with media outlets that, “Failing to comply with these guidelines could lead to the suspension or revocation of your building pass and the loss of access.”
The Pentagon insisted that leaking unauthorized classified information poses a security risk, potentially undermining national security and endangering DOD personnel.
This measure is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to curb media leaks and further restrict news organizations. Additionally, the memo stated that reporter movements within the building would be limited, with many areas being inaccessible unless journalists are accompanied by escorts.
“If media personnel need to access other parts of the Pentagon for interviews or other purposes, they must be accompanied by authorized DoW staff to and from those locations,” the department detailed.
The DOD, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, already banned reporters from certain areas of the building in May, unless they had prior approval or someone to escort them.
“The guidelines in the memo provided to credentialed resident media at the Pentagon reaffirms the standards that are already in line with every other military base in the country,” Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. “These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon.”
The National Press Club (NPC) characterized the changes as a “direct assault on independent journalism at the very place where independent scrutiny matters most: the U.S. military.”
“Independent reporting on the military is essential to democracy. It is what allows citizens to hold leaders accountable and ensures that decisions of war and peace are made in the light of day,” NPC President Mike Balsamo said in a statement on Friday. “This pledge undermines that principle, and the National Press Club calls on the Pentagon to rescind it immediately.”
The Pentagon moved some news organizations out of their workspaces earlier this year and brought in “new media” outlets whose coverage the administration views as more favorable.
The New York Times, NPR, Politico, NBC News had their spaces vacated, which were then filled by The New York Post, Breitbart News, HuffPost and One America News Network.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do,” Hegseth said Friday on social platform X. “The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility.”
He added, “Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home.”
