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The Pentagon has introduced new restrictions on media coverage of the U.S. military, requiring journalists to sign an agreement not to disclose unapproved information and limiting their movement within the department.
A detailed memo sent to reporters on Friday mandates that they sign an affidavit committing to compliance, with the threat of losing media credentials if they do not. These measures are part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to tighten control over how the military’s activities are reported, following President Trump’s comments suggesting that some negative reports might be “illegal.”
The memo states that the Pentagon remains committed to transparency to ensure accountability and build public trust. However, it emphasizes that all information, even if unclassified, must be approved by an authorized official before public release—effectively banning the sharing of details sourced from anonymous officials. These restrictions cover both classified and unclassified, controlled information.
Additionally, the memo outlines significant new restrictions on where Pentagon journalists can go without official escorts, emphasizing that the military’s personnel rather than the press control access. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: “The press no longer controls the halls of a secure facility. You wear a badge, follow the rules, or leave.”
These rules follow Hegseth’s recent controversy for revealing the timing of U.S. airstrikes in Yemen during a Signal group chat with a reporter and reportedly sharing sensitive details in another group involving his wife.
A spokesperson for The New York Times, often targeted by Trump, labeled the new restrictions as “another troubling step toward limiting access to what the U.S. military is doing at taxpayer expense.” Meanwhile, National Press Club President Mike Balsamo criticized the rules, urging the Pentagon to revoke them swiftly.
Balsamo argued that if news must first be approved by the government, the public is deprived of independent reporting—only seeing what officials want them to see, which should concern every American.
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