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43m ago

Pentagon Press Pledge Spurs Broad Backlash as Newsrooms Mull Legal Challenge

The measure conditions Pentagon access on preapproved information, which officials describe as a security standard.

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)
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on September 9.

Overview

  • Under a 17-page memo issued Friday, credentialed reporters must pledge not to obtain or publish information lacking official authorization, including some unclassified material, or risk losing Pentagon access.
  • USA TODAY reporting shows credentials can also be revoked for “unprofessional conduct,” including attempts to improperly obtain or possess classified or controlled unclassified information.
  • Major outlets and press-freedom groups condemned the policy as an unconstitutional prior restraint, with The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post and NPR signaling coordinated pushback and media lawyers weighing litigation.
  • President Trump undercut Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive, saying he does not think the Pentagon should decide what reporters can report on.
  • The Pentagon defends the guidelines as basic security rules consistent with other military bases, while a separate Sept. 15 memo tightened vetting of external speaking engagements as part of a broader access crackdown.