After losing in court, the Pentagon moves to restrict press access again

By Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — Undeterred by a federal judge’s recent rebuke, the Pentagon has announced another set of restrictions on the press corps that regularly covers the US military.

The changes will further reduce day-to-day press access, ultimately eroding the public’s understanding of what the military is doing.

Under the new rules, announced Monday, the “Correspondents’ Corridor” inside the Pentagon building — where journalists have worked for decades — has been shut down. The Pentagon says replacement workspace will be set up at a faraway “annex” location at some point.

Some longtime Pentagon reporters immediately suggested that the changes were retaliatory, coming three days after The New York Times won a permanent injunction against an earlier set of Pentagon restrictions. In that order, senior US District Judge Paul Friedman said the Pentagon had violated the First Amendment.

The Times said Monday’s new plan “does not comply with the judge’s order. It continues to impose unconstitutional restrictions on the press. We will be going back to court.”

The Pentagon Press Association, which represents about one hundred journalists who regularly cover the US military, called the changes “a clear violation of the letter and spirit” of last week’s ruling.

“At such a critical time, we ask why the Pentagon is choosing to restrict vital press freedoms that help inform all Americans,” the association said.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell claims the Defense Department has “security considerations” in mind.

“The Department remains committed to transparency and to working with credentialed journalists who cover the Department and the U.S. military,” he wrote on X. “The Department is equally committed to the security of the Pentagon and the protection of the men and women who work there. The revised policy reflects both commitments.”

Critics say the Pentagon’s “transparency” rhetoric masks an ongoing effort to attack the messenger and limit scrutiny.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to prosecute leakers and has villainized news outlets he deems biased, channeling the words of President Donald Trump, the man who appointed him.

His press office has sought to replace independent reporters with hyper-partisan pro-Trump media personalities.

Last September, the Pentagon rolled out a new press credentialing policy that challenged reporters’ ability to freely gather information, for instance, through leaks from sources inside the military.

Media lawyers warned the revised rules could criminalize routine reporting. So, rather than comply, journalists turned in their credentials en masse, leaving the “Correspondents’ Corridor” empty. The Times filed suit in December to get the rules revoked.

In the meantime, Hegseth’s press operation welcomed MAGA media influencers and commentators to take the places of traditional news outlets. Before long, though, some of those figures also began to complain about a lack of transparency from the Pentagon.

Now, according to Parnell’s announcement on Monday, the workspace is entirely off-limits to journalists. That’s significant because the judge’s order specifically said access for Times reporters had to be restored.

Having workspace inside the Pentagon’s fabled five walls isn’t just a matter of convenience; it allows reporters to maintain regular contact with military officials. Past defense secretaries of both parties saw the value of such interactions, but Hegseth seems to view the press as a security risk.

Parnell asserted on Monday evening that the changes were “in compliance with the court’s order.”

For instance, he said, “A new and improved press workspace will be established in an annex facility outside the Pentagon, but still on Pentagon grounds, and will be available when ready.”

He also announced that “all journalist access to the Pentagon will require escort by authorized Department personnel. Credential holders will continue to have access to the Pentagon for scheduled press briefings, press conferences, and interviews arranged through public affairs offices.”

The changes will further reduce press access, ultimately eroding the public’s understanding of what the military is doing.

Access is especially important “when military lives are at stake,” Barbara Starr, a CNN alum who reported from the Pentagon for more than two decades, wrote in an essay last fall.

Reporters “ask questions and, yes, hold power to account,” Starr wrote.

To those who might say Hegseth’s restrictions don’t matter, she wrote, “Consider this: If you have a son or daughter serving, don’t you want to know everything? Not just what the government tells you. You then can conduct an act of good citizenship and come to your own conclusion.”

Before the newest restrictions were announced on Monday, reporters from CNN, Reuters and several other major news outlets also sought to have their credentials reinstated, citing the judge’s order.

“Following Friday’s federal ruling affirming press access to the U.S. military, CNN is seeking the return of our Pentagon credentials,” CNN said in a statement. “We will continue to cover the U.S. military as we have, and other departments within the U.S. government, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.