Pentagon Turns Press Office into Classified Room, Bars Press
The change, driven partly by classified material concerns, will force reporters to seek appointments and limit routine contact with Pentagon spokespeople.
- On Monday, the Defense Department barred reporters from its press office, designating it a classified space as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's push to "sharply curtailed access for the media."
- Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez stated the move was necessary because speechwriters in the office "routinely handle classified material." The office will be equipped with the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network .
- These restrictions follow a pattern: the Pentagon removed mainstream outlets last year and replaced them with right-leaning outlets like Breitbart; it also previously required reporters to sign pledges forbidding photography or sketching inside the building.
- Reporters now face increased difficulty interacting with Pentagon spokespeople, as the previously open room where officials met with the press is no longer accessible without an appointment.
- The New York Times sued the Defense Department in late 2025 over these policies, and a federal judge has twice rejected the Pentagon's press guidelines, ruling they violated the First Amendment.
157 Articles
157 Articles
The Pentagon further restricts access for journalists. Critics see this as a further attack on the freedom of the press in the USA.
El Periódico
elcorreogallego.esThe U.S. Department of War headquarters announced Monday its decision to veto journalists' entry to the Pentagon's press office by considering that space to be "classified." "The Pentagon's press office has been redesigned as a sensitive compartmentalized information facility" because its staff handles "routinely classified material," said the interim spokesman for the Department of Defense headquarters, Joe Valdez, in a statement.Continue readi…
Pentagon bans reporters from public affairs office
The Trump administration’s “attempts to silence objective journalism just hit a new low,” said one press freedom advocate late Monday after the Pentagon announced that the US Department of Defense would mark its press office as a classified area, banning journalists from the space where they’ve previously talked openly with DOD officials. Reporters on the military are currently largely banned from […] The post Pentagon bans reporters from public…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
