Overview

• An internal Sept. 18 memo requires Pentagon information to be cleared by an authorizing official before public release, even when the material is unclassified.
• Reporters face the loss or denial of Pentagon press credentials for publishing information the department deems unauthorized, according to the memo.
• Chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said the policy does not restrict journalistic activities and affirmed rights protected by the First Amendment.
• Major news organizations and press advocates condemned the directive and some signaled plans to coordinate efforts to overturn it, potentially including legal action.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered roughly 800 senior military officials to a meeting at a Virginia Marine base next week, with the Pentagon saying only that he will address them.