The Defense Department has stopped reporters from entering its press office as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort to significantly limit media access, according to a report from the Washington Post on Monday.
The report stated that journalists have been prevented from entering the room where they typically met with public affairs officials in recent weeks, based on information from four unnamed sources.
“People who know about the change mentioned that it was partly due to a shift that moved Pentagon speechwriters into the public affairs office,” reporter Scott Nover noted.
“The office will now have SIPRNet, the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, allowing staff to use this system without having to go to a different secured room.”
Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez told the Washington Post that this change was necessary because the speechwriters often handle classified information.
“Therefore, journalists will no longer be allowed into the office space,” Valdez added.
“Access to the office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and to the Press Secretary is still available, but only by appointment.”
Nover pointed out that this limited access will make it harder for reporters to connect with the Pentagon’s spokespeople in the future.
“The public affairs office used to be a place where reporters could drop by the desks of military public affairs officials without needing an escort,” he explained.
“It was a meeting spot, and in previous administrations, the Pentagon press secretary or other officials would often hold informal briefings and take questions from the media, with reporters sitting on couches in the room.”
Nover also mentioned, “But Hegseth and his team have not kept that practice going.”
This restricted access follows the Pentagon’s decision to remove several mainstream news outlets from their assigned workspaces at the beginning of the second Trump administration, allowing right-leaning outlets like Breitbart to take their places.
Additionally, last year, the Pentagon asked reporters to sign a pledge that prohibited them from seeking tips, taking photos, or even sketching what they see inside the building.
Many outlets reacted skeptically to this request.
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