Overview

• Dozens of Pentagon beat reporters turned in badges and cleared workspaces after a Tuesday deadline, leaving no major outlet with a permanent presence in the building for the first time since the Eisenhower era.
• The policy requires credentialed journalists to acknowledge a detailed in-brief covering escort rules, movement limits, and information-security procedures, with language allowing credentials to be revoked if reporters solicit nonpublic information.
• Nearly every major U.S. outlet declined to sign, including AP, Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC, while One America News Network was the sole outlet to accept the terms.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the rules as common-sense security measures, and President Trump publicly backed the approach.
• The Pentagon Press Association and legal observers warn the acknowledgment could chill reporting and increase exposure to prosecution, while newsrooms say they will continue covering the military from outside the building.