On Oct. 15, journalists walked out of the Pentagon to protest against the new restrictive press rules set by Secretary of War, formerly titled Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. After waiting for the deadline to end, the majority of reporters turned in their press pass, cleared out their belongings and walked out to show their deficiencies against the new policies.
For years, the Pentagon Press Association (PPA) has served as the collective voice of journalists reporting on the U.S. military and Department of War from inside the Pentagon.
The new limits on journalists were announced on May 23 by Hegseth in a memo that stated reporters or any other media no longer had the freedom to report in certain areas of the Pentagon without an approved governmental escort.
On Sep. 19, Hegseth declared new pledge requirements for reporters at the Pentagon. The pledge instructed journalists not to gather any information, including unclassified reports, that haven’t been authorized for release.
Accordingly, NPR obtained a 17-page document outlining the new rules for the media, saying those who fail to obey the new policy will lose their press credentials, cutting off access to the headquarters of the largest department in the U.S. government.
With this new pledge requirement, Hegseth took to his social media and made a statement on X.
“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.
In response to the restrictions on journalists in the Pentagon, the National Press Club put out a statement on the threat to independent reporting, authored by National Press Club President Mike Balsamo.
“For generations, Pentagon reporters have provided the public with vital information about how wars are fought, how defense dollars are spent, and how decisions are made that put American lives at risk. That work has only been possible because reporters could seek out facts without needing government permission,” Balsamo said. “If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American.”
According to The Associated Press, after the implementation of Hegseth’s new media rules, an estimated 40 to 50 reporters walked out of the Pentagon press corps rather than sign the pledge required under the government-imposed restrictions on their reporting. Several journalists said that although they no longer work at the Pentagon, they do not plan to stop reporting.
Just about a week after the reporters walked out and refused to sign restrictions, the Pentagon announced a new press corps. New reporters have replaced the ones who walked out and now the new reporters hold the Pentagon press passes.
Hegseth again took to X on Oct. 22 to announce the news about the new press corps and what it entails.
“We are excited to announce over 60 journalists, representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists, have signed the Pentagon’s media access policy and will be joining the new Pentagon press corps. Twenty-six journalists across 18 outlets were among the former Pentagon press corps who chose to sign the DOW media access policy,” Hegseth said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s efforts to restrict the free press have sparked a strong pushback from reporters, with dozens walking out of the Pentagon rather than comply with new rules they believe are limiting independent reporting.
