Journalists Depart Pentagon After Rejecting New Reporting Restrictions
Dozens of journalists assigned to the Pentagon turned in their press passes on Wednesday, after refusing to agree to new Department of Defense reporting guidelines that threatened retribution against journalists and their sources for reporting not pre-approved by the Pentagon.
Journalists who rejected the guidelines departed the building together Wednesday afternoon in a walkout, leaving just after the deadline set by the Pentagon to vacate their work spaces.
“The Pentagon Press Association’s members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. military”, said the organization representing journalists at the Pentagon in a statement following the walkout.
But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all.
The Pentagon had set a Tuesday deadline for agreement to the new 21-page guidelines, after issuing a revised version on October 6. The guidelines were rejected by many publications over its demands that journalists only report on “explicitly authorized” news, and threatening prosecution against journalists and Department of Defense personnel for perceived “solicitation” of information.
Fox News Channel, former employer of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, joined NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, and CNN in a joint statement rejecting the guidelines on Tuesday. “The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. We will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press”.
Hegseth’s responses to criticism since the new guidelines were revealed have been to reiterate claims made without evidence that journalists have attempted to access restricted areas of the Pentagon, and posting waving hand emojis in quote posts on the X social media network of statements from publications that have refused to agree.
The only organization known to have agreed to the new restrictions is the One America News Network.