The Pentagon has barred journalists from entering its press office after redesignating the area as a classified space. This is the latest in a series of restrictions on reporters’ access to the department, deepening a standoff with major U.S. media over transparency.
Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the change, which was first reported by the Washington Post. He explained that speechwriters working for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth routinely handle classified information in the office. Valdez added that access to senior public affairs officials would still be available by appointment.
In a statement on X, Valdez asserted, “This is the most transparent War Department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that.” He noted the office was redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility.
The press office had served for decades as a central contact point for journalists and Pentagon officials. Reporters previously visited to seek comment, attend briefings, and interact with staff without escorts. The new restriction eliminates that direct access.
This move is part of a wider confrontation between the Pentagon and the media under Secretary Hegseth, a former Fox News host appointed by President Donald Trump. Over more than a year, the department has imposed escort requirements and limited access to previously open areas.
The Pentagon later required journalists to pledge not to seek unauthorized information, including unclassified material. Major outlets like Fox News, CNN, the Associated Press, and The New York Times refused to sign. Hundreds of reporters surrendered their Pentagon credentials in protest.
These restrictions have triggered multiple lawsuits. In March, a federal judge struck down key parts of the policy after a lawsuit by The New York Times. The Pentagon appealed and introduced an interim escort requirement. The newspaper filed a second lawsuit in May, arguing the policy unconstitutionally restricts independent reporting. The litigation is ongoing.
Secretary Hegseth has repeatedly accused media outlets of spreading “fake news” and criticized coverage of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. He compared the Pentagon media pool to the biblical Pharisees, describing the reporting as an “endless stream of garbage.”
This news article is created with AI enabled services and auto published, therefore it might contain errors, reader discrimination advised.
This article and views expressed therein, are solely that of the original news source also displayed for the interested reader, therefore it is not an act of copyright infringement by this platform, also this platform only aggregates the content and has no bearings and or shares any opinions or promotes views expressed by the original author, all intellectual property rights is totally credited to the original source.
