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39m ago

Pentagon Imposes Pledge Requiring Reporters to Use Only Authorized Information

News organizations and lawmakers say the new rule functions as a prior restraint and are weighing legal action to block it.

Aerial view of the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 20, 2025. The Pentagon has unveiled new restrictions on media covering the US military, requiring them to pledge not to disclose anything not formally authorized for publication and limiting their movements within the "Department of War." The new guidelines, laid out in a lengthy memo distributed to reporters on Friday, require them to sign an affidavit promising to comply -- or risk losing their media credentials. The move is the latest by the administration of US President Donald Trump to control media coverage of his policies, and after he suggested that negative stories could be "illegal." (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - FEBRUARY 13: U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth holds his closing press conference at the end of defense ministers' meetings at NATO headquarters on February 13, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium.
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Overview

  • A 17-page policy sent Friday requires credentialed Pentagon reporters to pledge not to obtain or publish department information unless it is approved for public release, including unclassified material.
  • The memo warns that declining to sign or publishing "unauthorized" information could lead to suspension or revocation of building passes and loss of access.
  • Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the directive as common-sense safeguards for sensitive information that align with practices at other military bases.
  • Major outlets including The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and NPR criticized the mandate, and press advocates called it an unconstitutional prior restraint as media lawyers prepare challenges.
  • President Trump said the Pentagon should not decide what reporters can report, highlighting tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as his team has already reduced press access and, in a separate memo, tightened rules on external engagements.