Hegseth's Pentagon Tells Reporters to Sign a No-Unapproved-Reporting Pledge or Lose Their Credentials

On September 19, 2025, the Pentagon issued a press credentialing policy requiring accredited journalists to acknowledge they would not report information the department had not approved for release, including unclassified material. The policy states that information must be approved for public release by an authorizing official before it is released, even if unclassified, and provides that reporters who decline to sign lose their building credentials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the press would no longer be allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility and told reporters to "wear a badge and follow the rules, or go home." The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Press Club condemned the policy.

A condition that reporters not publish unapproved unclassified information inverts the ordinary premise of defense journalism, in which the government controls classification and access while the press decides what to publish. Tying physical access to a promise about future publication makes credentialing a lever over editorial judgment rather than a security screen, which is why the policy drew objections from outlets across the political spectrum.

In October, news organizations including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Fox News, the Associated Press and Reuters refused to sign, and on October 15 journalists surrendered their Pentagon passes together. Litigation followed.