New York- Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power. The nation's leadership called the new rules“common sense” to help regulate a“very disruptive” press.
News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information - classified or otherwise - that had not been approved by Hegseth for release.

Many of the reporters waited to leave together at a 4 pm deadline set by the Defence Department to get out of the building. As the hour approached, boxes of documents lined a Pentagon corridor and reporters carried chairs, a copying machine, books and old photos to the parking lot from suddenly abandoned workspaces. Shortly after 4, about 40 to 50 journalists left together after handing in badges.

“It is sad, but I am also really proud of the press corps that we stuck together,” said Nancy Youssef, a reporter for The Atlantic who has had a desk at the Pentagon since 2007. She took a map of the Middle East out to her car.

It is unclear what practical impact the new rules will have, though news organisations vowed that they would continue robust coverage of the military no matter the vantage point.

Images of reporters effectively demonstrating against barriers to their work are unlikely to move supporters of President Donald Trump, many of whom resent journalists and cheer his efforts to make their jobs harder. Trump has been involved in court fights against The New York Times, CBS News, ABC News, the Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press in the past year.

Trump supports the new rules

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump backed his defence secretary's new rules.“I think he finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace,” Trump said.“The press is very dishonest.”

Even before issuing his new press policy, Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel host, has systematically choked off the flow of information. He has held only two formal press briefings, banned reporters from accessing many parts of the sprawling Pentagon without an escort and launched investigations into leaks to the media.

He has called his new rules“common sense” and said the requirement that journalists sign a document outlining the rules means they acknowledge the new rules, not necessarily agree to them. Journalists see that as a distinction without a difference.

“What they are really doing, they want to spoon-feed information to the journalist, and that would be their story. That is not journalism,” Jack Keane, a retired US Army general and Fox News analyst, said on Hegseth's former network.

When he served, Keane said he required new brigadier generals to take a class on the role of the media in a democracy so they would not be intimidated and also see reporters as a conduit to the American public.“There were times when stories were done that made me flinch a little bit,” he said.“But that is usually because we had done something that was not as good as we should have done it.”

Youssef said it made no sense to sign on to rules that said reporters should not solicit military officials for information.“To agree to not solicit information is to agree to not be a journalist,” she said.“Our whole goal is soliciting information.”

Reporting on US military affairs will continue - from a greater distance

Several reporters posted on social media when they turned in their press badges.

“It's such a tiny thing, but I was really proud to see my picture up on the wall of Pentagon correspondents,” wrote Heather Mongilio, a reporter for USNINews, which covers the Navy.“Today, I'll hand in my badge. The reporting will continue.”

MENAFN16102025000215011059ID1110203898