Journalists face tighter controls.
The Pentagon has announced sweeping restrictions on journalists covering the US military, requiring them to pledge not to publish information that has not been formally approved and limiting their movements within the Department of War.
Affidavit required for access
The guidelines, detailed in a memo circulated on Friday, compel reporters to sign an affidavit agreeing to the terms or risk losing their press credentials.
Trump administration crackdown
The decision is the latest in a series of steps by President Donald Trump’s administration to tighten control over media coverage, coming after he suggested negative reporting could be deemed “illegal.”
Pentagon insists on ‘transparency’
In the memo, Pentagon officials insisted the institution “remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust.”
All material requires approval.
However, it stated that “information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorising official before it is released, even if it is unclassified” — a clause that effectively bans journalists from publishing material sourced to unnamed officials.
Rules cover unclassified data.
The new rules extend to both classified information and what the military defines as “controlled unclassified information.”
Limits on Pentagon access
The directive also places new restrictions on journalists’ physical access to the Pentagon, barring them from moving unescorted through the vast headquarters just outside Washington.
Hegseth defends the decision
“The press does not run the Pentagon — the people do,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
‘Follow the rules — or go home’
“The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home,” he added.
Controversy over past leaks
The announcement follows criticism Hegseth faced earlier this year when he accidentally disclosed the timing of US air strikes on Yemen’s Huthi rebels in a private Signal group that included a reporter.
Fox News ties resurface
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran, was also reported to have shared sensitive details in a separate group chat that included his wife.
Pushback from The New York Times
Reaction from US media organisations was swift. A spokesperson for The New York Times, frequently targeted by Mr Trump, described the restrictions as “yet another step in a concerning pattern of reducing access to what the US military is undertaking at taxpayer expense.”
Press freedom concerns raised.
Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club, called on the Pentagon to withdraw the rules immediately.
‘No longer independent reporting’
“If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting,” he said in a statement.
‘Alarming for every American’
“It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American,” he added.
