Overview

• The updated policy removes language implying prepublication approval but requires reporters to acknowledge in writing within about a week that they understand the rules or risk losing Pentagon credentials.
• The memo warns that publishing or seeking nonpublic information, including controlled unclassified material, could trigger credential revocation and labels soliciting leaks as a potential security risk.
• The Pentagon Press Association and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press say the changes send an intimidation message and could expose journalists to prosecution, even after negotiated revisions.
• Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell says the department negotiated in good faith, insists reporters do not need to clear stories, and frames the updates as security-driven regulations tied to building access.
• Officials also plan to relocate news organizations from dedicated workspaces, following earlier escort and movement limits, a shift press groups say will further isolate reporters inside the building.