Pentagon Tightens Media Access: Journalists Required to Sign Pledge

Fri Sep 26 2025 15:51:43 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A new directive from the Pentagon mandates credentialed journalists to sign an agreement limiting their reporting, raising concerns about press freedom and government oversight.

The Pentagon has implemented a controversial new policy requiring credentialed journalists to sign a pledge that restricts them from reporting on unapproved information, a move critics say threatens independent journalism. Advocates for press freedom argue that this policy reflects growing government censorship, while government officials maintain that it is necessary for security reasons. The directive has drawn sharp criticism from various media organizations and advocates, who warn it undermines the First Amendment.

The Pentagon has announced that credentialed journalists must now sign a pledge to refrain from reporting information that has not been authorized for release, including unclassified information. Those who do not comply risk losing their press credentials, according to a 17-page memo distributed recently that increases media restrictions initiated by the Trump administration.

The directive emphasizes that all information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before dissemination. Critics of the policy, including press freedom advocates, have denounced the non-disclosure requirement as a direct assault on independent journalism. The timing of this move coincides with Trump expanding tactics to pressurize the media landscape.

National Press Club President Mike Balsamo expressed concerns, stating, 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.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also reinforced this viewpoint on social media, insisting that the press will no longer have free access within the Pentagon facilities, stating, The press does not run the Pentagon — the people do. This policy follows the evictions of multiple news organizations and restrictions on reporters' access to certain areas of the Pentagon.

Media organizations voiced their discontent over the new restrictions. The Society of Professional Journalists labeled the policy as reminiscent of prior restraint, the most severe violation of press freedom under the First Amendment, and indicative of an alarming trend toward government censorship. Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post, reiterated that such limitations contravene constitutional protections for journalism and hinder public interests.

As discussions continue around the implications of this mandate, the tension between press freedom and national security remains a critical focal point in contemporary media discourse.