Pentagon tightens control over what reporters can publish
The Pentagon is tightening rules on media access to its halls, underscored by a pointed message from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home,” Hegseth said Friday on the US social media company, X, posting a screenshot of an exclusive story on the Pentagon’s updated media guidelines.
It follows the agency’s new guidelines, formalised in a memo Thursday, obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire.
It said spokesman Sean Parnell outlined “updated physical control measures for press/media access within the Pentagon,” requiring credentialed reporters to sign documents acknowledging the protocols.
Media outlets’ criticism
Previously, reporters could move relatively freely throughout much of the Pentagon, observing officials and attending meetings in areas that are now restricted.
Under the new policy, escorts are required for sensitive areas, while the media retains access to the defence media office, the spokesman’s office and other general spaces.
Parnell stressed the operational security rationale. “Up until now, the press could wander all around the Pentagon with no oversight, even outside of sensitive/classified areas. So moving forward, they’ll need an escort to access those areas … These are pragmatic changes to protect operational security & ultimately bring the Pentagon in line with other government buildings,” he said
The changes have drawn criticism from media outlets, according to The Daily Wire. In May, reporters from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Aviation Week objected, while CBS News’ Dan Martin suggested the rules might eventually entirely ban reporters.
Parnell countered: “Here’s the policy in a nutshell: Wear a media credential. Have an escort for sensitive areas. Just like every other US military base on planet Earth. That’s it.” On 5 September, Trump signed an executive order rebranding the US Department of Defence as the Department of War.
The change introduces “Department of War” and “Secretary of War” as secondary titles for use in official communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch.
The official legal names remain Department of Defence and Secretary of Defence, as only Congress can enact a formal renaming.
Trump opposes Pentagon control
US President Donald Trump said Sunday he does not think that the Pentagon should control what reporters can report amid new media restrictions at the Defence Department.
“No, I don’t think so. Nothing stops reporters,” said Trump when asked whether the Pentagon should decide what reporters can report on.