'Wear a badge and follow the rules': Pentagon issues new restrictions for reporters Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY September 20, 2025 at 11:56 PM 0 WASHINGTON The Pentagon said reporters who try to obtain or publish information that has not been authorized for public release could lose their press access...
- - 'Wear a badge and follow the rules': Pentagon issues new restrictions for reporters
Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY September 20, 2025 at 11:56 PM
0
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said reporters who try to obtain or publish information that has not been authorized for public release could lose their press access, according to a new 17-page document obtained by USA TODAY.
The document, which reporters are expected to sign, notes that "information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified."
1 / 16U.S. marks 24th anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks. See the memorials.The United States flag is unfurled at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2025, in Arlington, VA. On Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people.
It says that reporters could get their credentials revoked if they engage in "unprofessional conduct that might serve to disrupt Pentagon operations," which include "attempts to improperly obtain" or "being found in physical possession of" classified national security information or controlled unclassified information (which is sensitive but unclassified information).
"The guidelines in the memo provided to credentialed resident media at the Pentagon reaffirms the standards that are already in line with every other military base in the country," Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to USA TODAY. "These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon."
The document includes other restrictions imposed on reporters, including where they can roam around the Pentagon itself and whether they need an escort.
The Pentagon Press Association, an independent organization that represents reporters covering the military, told Politico it is reviewing the directive. National Press Club President Mike Balsamo wrote in a statement that the new mandate is a "direct assault on independent journalism at the very place where independent scrutiny matters most: the U.S. military."
Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, VA, USA; U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks, and praises the life of Charlie Kirk, at a memorial event at the Pentagon on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2025, in Arlington, VA. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images
"If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American," Balsamo said. He called for the restrictions to be lifted.
"The 'press' does not run the Pentagon — the people do," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a Sept. 19 post on X. "The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home."
In January, the Pentagon removed several major news organizations, including NBC News, from their workspaces after instituting a new "annual media rotation program."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon issues new restrictions for reporters
Source: "AOL General News"
Source: GETTY MAG
Read More >> Full Article on Source: GETTY MAG
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities
