More than 30 members of the Pentagon press corps turned in their badges and exited the building together on Wednesday, after refusing to acknowledge the Defense Department’s new reporting restrictions. Journalists crossed a foot bridge and descended the long northeast staircase – a coordinated walk-out that followed notice that non-signatories would lose accreditation and workspace access.
Newsrooms publicly declining to sign include The New York Times, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Newsmax, with additional outlets joining the walk-out over the course of the day.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth calling on reporters during a news briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, in June. Alex Bardon / Associated Press
As reported by the New York Times, “The 21-page document lays out a number of requirements, including the provision that military personnel need approval before sharing information with the media, even if it isn’t classified.” It further states that asking agency personnel to “commit criminal acts” by disclosing unauthorised information isn’t protected under the First Amendment. Journalists are “technically not barred from reporting or publishing stories on the US military using information deemed unclassified,” but could be deemed “a security or safety risk” should they disclose classified or even unclassified information without the Pentagon’s clearance.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell reinforced that line publicly: “Our policy is also clear: soliciting DOW (Department of War) service members and civilians to commit crimes is strictly prohibited.” He added, “The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is.”
At the White House, President Donald Trump backed the restrictions: “The press is very dishonest,” he said, arguing the rules were necessary because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “finds the press to be very disruptive.” The president added: “I think it sort of bothers me to have soldiers and, even, you know, high-ranking g
enerals walking around with you guys on their sleeve, asking them, because they can make a mistake and a mistake can be tragic.” Hegseth described the measures as “common-sense stuff” designed to protect classified information.
The Pentagon Press Association (PPA) issued a blunt statement:
“Limiting the media’s ability to report on the U.S. military fails to honor the American families who have entrusted their sons and daughters to serve in it, or the taxpayers responsible for giving the department hundreds of billions of dollars a year.”
The PPA said most of its roughly 90 accredited members “seem likely to hand over their badges rather than acknowledge a policy that gags Pentagon employees,” warning: “The policy conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission – which plainly, it is not.”
