Reporters from all major news outlets cleared out of the Pentagon on Wednesday after refusing to sign on to new Trump administration press restrictions for the complex.
Journalists, some of whom have covered the Defense Department for decades, turned in their press badges and cleared belongings out of workspaces. Per the AP, many reporters waited until 4 p.m. to depart. That was the deadline set to exit the building.
Media organizations had until Tuesday evening to decide whether to agree to a new policy that sought to limit journalists from seeking out information that had not been approved by Pentagon officials, even unclassified material.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended to policy, saying that it “now has same rules as every U.S military installation.” But he has falsely claimed that reporters have been allowed to roam free around the complex, even without badges.
Only one media outlet, One America News Network, has signed on to the policy. Others, including Fox News, the major broadcast networks, PBS, the AP and The Wall Street Journal, have all refused to have their correspondents sign the policy as a condition to receive regular credentials.
It means that Hegseth will no longer have a permanent press corps in place to deliver briefings, although those have been few since the former Fox & Friends Weekend host was confirmed to his post. Correspondents who have reported from the Pentagon instead will have to go on air from elsewhere.
Media outlets said that they would continue to cover the Pentagon, relying on sources beyond the official work.
The Pentagon Press Association said in a statement on Wednesday, “Today the Defense Department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America. It did this because reporters would not sign onto a new media policy over its implicit threat of criminalizing national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution.
The association added, “The Pentagon Press Association’s members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. military. But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025, is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all.”
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