October 16, 2025
Pentagon reporters exited the building in rejection of new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Dozens of reporters at the Pentagon cleared their desks, returned their badges, and left the building on Oct. 15 in protest of new government rules limiting their reporting.
Journalists covering the U.S. military walked out of their Pentagon posts in protest of new restrictions imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which threatened expulsion for reporting on any information, not just classified, that hadn’t been approved for release, AP News reporteds. Many left together at the Defense Department’s 4 p.m. deadline, refusing to agree to the new rules.
“It’s sad, but I’m also really proud of the press corps that we stuck together,” Nancy Youssef, a reporter for The Atlantic who has worked at the Pentagon since 2007, told the ABQ Journal.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has held just two formal press briefings, restricted reporters’ access to many areas of the Pentagon without an escort, and launched investigations into leaks. He defended the new rules as “common sense,” claiming that having journalists sign a document is only to acknowledge the rules rather than serving as an official agreement. Reporters, however, view that as a distinction without a difference.
“What they’re really doing, they want to spoon-feed information to the journalist, and that would be their story. That’s not journalism,” said Jack Keane, a retired U.S. Army general and Fox News analyst.
Donald Trump supported his defense secretary’s new rules while speaking with reporters at the White House on Oct. 14.
“I think he finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace,” Trump said. “The press is very dishonest.”
News outlets overwhelmingly rejected the new rules, with conservative One America News Network the only outlet to sign on. The Pentagon Press Association, representing 101 journalists from 56 news organizations, condemned the restrictions. Media organizations across the spectrum, from legacy outlets like The Associated Press and The New York Times to Fox and conservative Newsmax, directed their reporters to leave rather than sign on.
“They knew the American public deserved to know what’s going on,” NPR reporter Tom Bowman wrote in an essay. “With no reporters able to ask questions, it seems the Pentagon leadership will continue to rely on slick social media posts, carefully orchestrated short videos and interviews with partisan commentators and podcasters. No one should think that’s good enough.”
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