US EditionPentagon Press Association Calls Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Access Restrictions ‘a Direct Attack’
- On May 23, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued new restrictions limiting credentialed journalists’ unescorted access within the Pentagon.
- Hegseth and his allies have taken multiple steps since January to limit independent media access, citing the need to protect classified and sensitive information.
- The changes require journalists to have official escorts in large Pentagon areas, reducing their freedom to move and interact with press officers who handle media queries.
- The Pentagon Press Association criticized the new measures as an effort to undermine press freedom and limit public insight into military activities, whereas Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell characterized the changes as practical steps taken to safeguard operational security.
- The restrictions have sparked sharp criticism from journalists concerned about transparency and professional relationships that have lasted decades, suggesting ongoing tension over media access in the Defense Department.
54 Articles
54 Articles
Defense Sec. Hegseth puts new limits on press access at the Pentagon
The U.S. Defense Department is implementing new restrictions on journalists covering the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the changes in a memo Friday. The new policies vastly limit access for credentialed media while inside the Pentagon complex in Arlington, Va.The restrictions ban reporters and other media from many areas of the Pentagon unless they’re accompanied by an approved government escort. The restricted areas include…
Dispatch Argus
News & RecordHegseth orders more press restrictions
Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the news media late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort…
The Pentagon Press Association is setting up a "direct attack on freedom of the press." The Pentagon, on the other hand, declares that the measure only serves to protect sensitive information.
The Independent
The Independent (US)Pete Hegseth slammed for ‘direct attack’ against military reporters
Defense Secretary strips access to journalists and bans press from certain areas without an escort
By Brian Stelter, CNN Journalists covering the US military say they are deeply concerned about the restrictions imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on press access to the Pentagon. They say the new restrictions, announced Friday night, appear to be “a direct attack on press freedom and the right of Americans to know what their military is doing.” The Pentagon Press Association’s harsh words came after Hegseth announced “additional press cl…
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