WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday issued new restrictions on press access within the Pentagon, requiring journalists to be escorted through much of the building — a move criticized by media organizations as a threat to press freedom.
The directive, which takes immediate effect, bars credentialed reporters from accessing most areas of the Department of Defense headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, without official approval and an escort.
“While the Department remains committed to transparency, it is equally obligated to protect classified and sensitive national intelligence information — the unauthorized disclosure of which could endanger U.S. service members,” Hegseth stated in a memorandum announcing the policy.
Hegseth described the safeguarding of classified intelligence and operational security as “an unwavering imperative” for the Department.
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists covering the U.S. military, strongly objected to the new measures, calling them a “direct attack on the freedom of the press.”
“The decision is ostensibly based on operational security concerns,” the association said in a statement. “But for decades, the Pentagon Press Corps has had access to unclassified areas of the building — even in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks — without objection from prior Defense Department leadership, whether Republican or Democrat.”
In response to the criticism, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the changes, calling them “a necessary step to protect sensitive information and reduce preventable risks to U.S. service members.”
The policy shift comes amid a broader Trump administration crackdown on information leaks. Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, the Pentagon has launched an internal investigation into leaks, resulting in three officials being placed on administrative leave.
The administration has also reassigned office space in the Pentagon press area, forcing several legacy media organizations — including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and NBC News — to vacate. In their place, outlets generally seen as more supportive of the administration, such as Breitbart News, The Daily Caller, One America News Network, and The New York Post, have been given office space under a new rotational policy. The White House has said the change is intended to broaden access for a wider range of media outlets.
Additionally, federal agencies have increased the use of polygraph tests in leak investigations, with Department of Homeland Security employees reportedly warned they could face termination for refusing to take lie detector tests, according to Reuters.
Friday’s order also mandates that members of the Pentagon press corps acknowledge a formal responsibility to safeguard sensitive information. Reporters will receive new credentials that more prominently identify them as members of the media, and officials indicated that further security measures and credentialing scrutiny are expected to follow.
“We anticipate additional announcements regarding security enhancements and tighter controls on press credentials,” the memo concluded.
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