WASHINGTON — Dozens of national outlets are set to lose access to report on the Defense Department from inside the Pentagon due to protests against new press restrictions being pushed by the Trump administration.
Outlets have until 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday to sign a document agreeing to a new code of conduct that reporters have denounced as violating the First Amendment and infringing on journalists’ ability to freely report on the DOD. Those who do not sign by the deadline will have their press credentials revoked, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
The new policies increase the current one-page agreement to 10 pages and includes new restrictions such as a prohibition on journalists publishing any DOD information unless it is “approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released” — even if the information is unclassified.
The department later relaxed some of that language due to initial protests, contending that outlets did not need to “submit their writings” to the department explicitly, but remained adamant reporters would lose their credentials if they did not sign the new policy.
Dozens of outlets came out with statements on Monday refusing to sign the agreement, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, Newsmax and Fox News, Hegseth’s former employer. Other outlets that have refused to sign on include The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, The Hill and Politico.
Only one outlet has so far agreed to the terms: One America News, which is known for its conservative lean and commentary.
“We fundamentally oppose the restrictions that the Trump administration is imposing on journalists who are reporting on matters of defense and national security,” Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, said in a statement on Monday. “The requirements violate our First Amendment rights, and the rights of Americans who seek to know how taxpayer-funded military resources and personnel are being deployed.”
Hegseth responded to several outlets’ statements, simply posting a waving hand emoji on X, suggesting he was saying goodbye.
“Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right,” Hegseth said in a post.
Hegseth then outlined that the policy would restrict journalists from “no longer roam(ing) free” and would require reporters to “wear visible badge(s)” when inside the building. However, veteran defense reporters have pushed back on social media to say that journalists have “never been able to roam free in the Pentagon” and that it’s already standard for them to wear badges inside the building.
The Pentagon Press Association, which advocates on behalf of defense reporters, came out in strong opposition to the proposed changes, saying outlets are merely “acknowledg(ing) a policy that gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release.”
Hegseth has previously implemented media restrictions over the last few months that have stirred controversy, including his announcement in February to remove major media outlets from their desks in the press workspace and restricting where journalists could go in the building.