Troubled by unauthorized disclosures to the press throughout his brief time in office,

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

On Friday evening, they implemented several limitations on media freedom which involve prohibiting journalists from accessing large portions of the Pentagon unless accompanied by a government representative – regions where news crews previously enjoyed access during previous administrations when documenting the operations of the planet’s premier military force.

Areas now under restriction encompass his office as well as those of his key advisors, along with various spots throughout the extensive structure where representatives from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force manage their media relations departments.

The media will likewise be prohibited from entering the offices of the Pentagon’s top military leaders, such as Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, unless they have received permission from Hegseth along with an accompanying aide. Historically, the Joint Chiefs’ personnel have had positive relations with journalists.

Hegseth, the former Fox News Channel personality, issued his order via a posting on X late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. He said it was necessary for national security.

“Although the department continues to uphold transparency, it also has an equal duty to safeguard classified intelligence and sensitive data. The improper sharing of such information might endanger the lives of U.S. service personnel,” Hegseth stated.

The Pentagon Press Association showed doubt about whether genuine operational issues were behind the decision—instead connecting the move to earlier steps taken by Hegseth’s office that have hindered reporters and their reporting.

There’s no way to put a positive spin on this. The memorandum released today by Secretary Hegseth seems to be an outright assault on the media’s freedom and Americans’ right to understand their military’s actions,” stated on Friday evening. “The Pentagon Press Association is deeply troubled by the choice to limit the movements of authorized journalists inside the Pentagon via unsecured, unclassified corridors.

Hegseth further mentioned that journalists will have to sign a document aimed at safeguarding confidential data and will receive an updated badge that distinctly marks them as members of the media. However, it remained unclear if endorsing this agreement would be necessary for maintaining entry privileges into the premises.

Two months prior, the division was

embarrassed by a leak

According to The New York Times, billionaire Elon Musk was scheduled to receive a briefing from the U.S. military regarding their strategies in the event of a conflict with China. However, this meeting did not occur due to President Donald Trump’s instructions. In response to the leak of this information, Hegseth temporarily removed two officials from the Pentagon as part of his inquiry into how the details were disclosed.

The Pentagon

was also embarrassed

when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in a group chat on the Signal messaging app where Hegseth discussed plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Trump’s former national security adviser, Mike Waltz, took responsibility for Goldberg being included and was shifted to another job.

The administration has taken several aggressive actions toward the press since Trump took over, including FCC investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News.

Restrictions imposed

on The Associated Press’ access to certain White House events earlier this year led to a court battle that is ongoing.

The White House has also increased access for conservative media that are friendly to the president. Nevertheless, a study released earlier this month found that Trump had

more frequent exchanges with reporters

During his initial 100 days in office, he outpaced all six of his preceding counterparts.

However, Hegseth has been much harder to reach. He hasn’t addressed the media in the Pentagon’s briefing room as of yet. Since January 20th, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has conducted just one press briefing at the Pentagon. Additional measures have also been implemented to complicate matters for journalists by the Department of Defense.

taking office space away

From eight media sources, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and NBC.

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David Bauder covers media for the Associated Press. You can follow him at

http://x.com/dbauder

and

https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social

.