Journalists are now required to commit to not releasing unauthorized content in order to obtain Pentagon press passes.
Published On 14 Oct 2025
Several leading news organisations, spanning the political spectrum, have voiced concerns that the Pentagon’s newly introduced reporting protocols impose illegal constraints on journalists‘ ability to cover military affairs.
These directives, unveiled in a Department of Defense memo last September, require reporters to sign a legal declaration affirming they will refrain from publishing unauthorized content-including even unclassified materials-as a condition for maintaining their Pentagon press credentials.
After significant backlash from the press community, the Pentagon softened the language last week, changing the requirement from signing an affidavit to merely “acknowledging” the new rules. Despite this adjustment, numerous media outlets continue to criticize the updated guidelines.
Major media entities such as NPR, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, along with Reuters and the Associated Press, have publicly declared their refusal to comply with these stipulations.
These organizations argue that the rules infringe upon constitutional protections guaranteed by the First Amendment, which safeguards freedom of speech and the press. This principle was notably upheld in the landmark 1971 Supreme Court decision, New York Times Co v United States, which permitted the publication of classified military documents during the Vietnam War era.
Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post, emphasized on X that “these proposed limitations undermine First Amendment rights by imposing unnecessary barriers to information gathering and dissemination. We remain committed to thorough and impartial coverage of Pentagon policies and government officials.”
Conservative outlets such as The Washington Times and Newsmax, a cable news competitor to Fox News, have also rejected the new rules. Newsmax described the requirements as “burdensome and unwarranted” in a statement shared with Axios.
The Pentagon Press Association, representing defense journalists, acknowledged the Pentagon’s authority to establish reporting protocols but insisted that such policies cannot be “unconstitutional prerequisites” for press access.
Previously, the association criticized the rules as attempts to “suppress a free press” and warned that they could expose reporters to potential legal action.
The initiative has been strongly supported by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who assumed office in January under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on X that the department engaged in “good faith discussions” with the Pentagon Press Association but maintained that “encouraging military personnel or civilians to break the law is strictly forbidden.”
