The Pentagon has introduced new restrictions requiring journalists to obtain government approval before publishing any information about the Defense Department, including unclassified material.
Under a 17-page directive distributed Friday, credentialed reporters must sign a pledge not to release unauthorized information or risk losing their Pentagon access. The policy expands media controls first introduced under former President Donald Trump.
“All information must be cleared for public release by an authorized official before publication, even if unclassified,” the memo states. Reporters are also bound by additional security requirements as a condition of holding Pentagon credentials.
Press freedom advocates slammed the move as government censorship. National Press Club President Mike Balsamo warned: “If coverage of the military must first be approved by officials, the public isn’t getting independent journalism only what the government wants them to see. That should alarm every American.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, defended the rules on X, writing: “The press does not run the Pentagon, the people do. Wear a badge and follow the rules, or go home.”
The Society of Professional Journalists condemned the policy as “alarming,” calling it “prior restraint the most blatant vi%lation of press freedom under the First Amendment.” They argued it represents a tro¥bling step toward censorship under the guise of “security.”
Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post, also criticized the measure, stressing in Saturday’s edition that the policy undermines the public’s right to independent, transparent reporting.
