The Pentagon enforces revised media access rules, closing a key workspace and requiring escorts, drawing condemnation from press groups and legal threats.
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has implemented new restrictions on media access, following a federal court order that blocked its previous policy.
Defence Department spokesman Sean Parnell stated the department “always complies with court orders but disagrees with the decision and is pursuing an appeal”.
The revised policy, effective immediately, mandates that all journalists seeking physical access to the Pentagon must be escorted by authorised personnel.
It also closes the indoor “Correspondents’ Corridor” workspace immediately, with a new outdoor press area to be established on the grounds outside the main building.
The Pentagon Press Association condemned the move, calling it “a clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week’s ruling by a U.S. federal court”.
The association added it was consulting its legal counsel regarding the new restrictions.
The court order was issued after a lawsuit by The New York Times alleged that policy changes in October 2025 gave the Pentagon free rein to freeze out reporters over coverage it disliked.
The government had argued the previous policy was a reasonable national security measure.
That policy stated journalists could be deemed security risks and have press badges revoked for soliciting unauthorised disclosures of information.
According to the Times’ lawsuit, only one of 56 news outlets in the Pentagon Press Association agreed to sign an acknowledgment of the previous rules.
The New York Times said on Monday the latest Pentagon policy does not comply with the judge’s order and continues “unconstitutional restrictions”.
“We will be going back to court,” it added.
