The Pentagon's decision to seal off its press office from journalists marks the latest escalation in a sustained campaign to restrict independent reporting at the Department of Defense’s headquarters. Under Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon reporters face barriers such as movement restrictions, limits on accreditation and photography, and limited transparency. These measures systematically narrow independent journalism on the US military, which is crucial to keeping the public informed on government activities.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon redesignated its press office as a “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” (SCIF), barring journalists from entering a space long used for interactions between reporters and defense officials. While Pentagon leaders have framed the move as a routine security measure, it is the latest in a series of restrictions introduced under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that have steadily limited where journalists can go, whom they can speak to, what information they can seek, and how they can document military leadership. Taken together, these measures reveal a broader pattern of shrinking access for independent journalism inside one of the world's most powerful military institutions.
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's asinine attempts to silence objective journalism just hit a new low. After losing his effort to force reporters to sign loyalty pledges and complaining about unflattering photographs of himself, the defense secretary is taking the extreme step of kicking the press out of their own press office. No single restriction may seem transformative on its own. But taken together, these measures amount to a systematic effort to reduce independent scrutiny of the Pentagon. The public cannot hold institutions accountable if journalists are progressively denied the access needed to report on them."
Ben Grazda
Advocacy Manager, RSF North America
Restricting access: Building walls inside the Pentagon
The first and most visible component of this trend has been the gradual restriction of reporters' physical access. In May 2025, Hegseth ordered new physical control measures that restricted credentialed journalists' access to areas of the Pentagon they had historically been permitted to enter. Under the policy, reporters were required to obtain official approval or be escorted when entering spaces that were previously freely accessible to members of the press corps. The Pentagon justified the changes as necessary to prevent unauthorized disclosures, but journalists argue that they significantly impede routine reporting activities.
Restrictions on mobility inside the premises continued to tighten, prompting journalists to take action. In December 2025, Julian E. Barnes, The New York Times' international security reporter, filed a lawsuit against this policy, which was compounded by a new credentialing policy announced in October of that year, arguing that it infringed on constitutionally protected newsgathering activities. In March 2026, a federal judge ruled that some of the restrictions unlawfully hindered journalists' reporting. The legal battle continued on May 18, 2026, when the same outlet filed suit for the second time in five months, challenging a policy requiring journalists to be escorted by government officials throughout the building.
Restricting information: Routine reporting turned into a security concern
Physical barriers have also been accompanied by efforts to restrict access to information. In September 2025, the Pentagon introduced a new "Media In-Brief" policy requiring reporters seeking credentials to acknowledge restrictions related to the handling and solicitation of "unauthorized" information.
The controversy quickly escalated. In October 2025, journalists from major outlets refused to sign the acknowledgment and surrendered their Pentagon credentials in protest. The organizations argued that the policy threatened constitutionally protected newsgathering activities by creating uncertainty around what information reporters could legally seek, possess, or use in their reporting.
The episode marked a significant shift in the Pentagon's relationship with the press. Rather than treating journalists as independent watchdogs serving the public interest, the policy framed routine reporting practices as potential security risks requiring greater oversight and control.
Reshaping the press corps: Who gets access matters
The Pentagon has also altered the composition of the press corps itself. In February 2025, several news organizations that had long been members were removed from dedicated Pentagon workspaces and replaced through a media rotation system that brought new outlets into the building. Pentagon officials described the changes as an effort to diversify access and broaden participation. Yet critics argued that the policy weakened institutional reporting capacity when robust scrutiny of military affairs was most necessary.
In March 2026, following the publication of widely distributed photographs from earlier appearances, independent press photographers were excluded from Pentagon briefings involving Hegseth. Pentagon officials disputed reports that the move was connected to dissatisfaction with an “unflattering” image of Hegseth.
Photography plays a unique role in public accountability, as independent visual journalism serves as an important check against the government's ability to shape its own image.
Constraining oversight: Limiting accountability
While defending its restrictive press policies against legal challenges, Pentagon leaders also took steps that threatened the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper Congress has long protected from direct government interference. In January 2026, the Department of Defense announced plans to overhaul the paper. The measures appeared to move from funding and overseeing the paper to potentially directing its content, which critics argue would undermine the newspaper's long-standing editorial independence.
The concerns intensified in March 2026, when the Pentagon issued a modernization plan that expanded departmental oversight of the newspaper's operations. Then, in April 2026, the Pentagon dismissed Stars and Stripes Ombudsman Jacqueline Smith, whose position was created by Congress in 1991 to safeguard the newspaper's editorial independence.
The Pentagon’s restrictions on journalists reflect a broader deterioration of press freedom under the Trump administration, marked by attacks on news organizations, lawfare against journalists, attempts to influence editorial decisions, and growing barriers to information in the public interest. The consequences are already evident in the RSF World Press Freedom Index, where the United States fell to an all-time low of 64th place this year.