so-called “Department of War.”
HEGSETH WAS MEDIA LIASON WHEN HE WAS IN THE MILITARY
Jack Revell
Fri, September 19, 2025
DAILY BEAST
Yves Herman / Reuters
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has introduced new guidelines that heavily restrict press freedom at the so-called “Department of War.”
Reporters will now need express approval from the department in order to publish any information gathered at the Pentagon, and are forbidden from accessing most of the building without an escort.
Journalists will be made to sign compliance forms pledging to protect “sensitive information” and will be stripped of their credentials if they do not adhere to the new rules.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is introducing an effective veto over what can be reported from the Pentagon. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
In a new memo, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said that these “physical control measures” announced in May are now in effect.
“All members of the press issued a Pentagon Facility Alternate Credential (PFAC) will be required to read and sign a new in–brief form outlining information security requirements, the new physical control measures, and Department of War expectations of their compliance with safety and security requirements,” the memo, obtained by The Daily Wire, reads.
When the plans were originally announced, the Pentagon Press Association issued a statement decrying the move as “a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America’s right to know what its military is doing.”
Pete Hegseth shows off his tattoos, including the Crusader cross on his chest. / Pete Hegseth/Instagram
The Pentagon press corps have also characterized the changes as a “form of targeted retribution against publications that the Trump administration doesn’t like,” as criticisms of the White House’s suppression of free speech continue.
“The guidelines in the memo provided to credentialed resident media at the Pentagon reaffirms the standards that are already in line with every other military base in the country,” Parnell told the Daily Beast. “These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon.”
While most military bases do have strict security protocols for visitors, the Pentagon is not a typical military base. For decades, it has had a dedicated press corps who have been able to move freely about the site. This remained in place even in the wake of high-security risk incidents like the September 11 attacks.
Hegseth, himself a former Fox News anchor, has said on social media that he expects all reporters to comply or face the consequences.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon—the people do,“ Hegseth, 45, wrote on X. ”The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules—or go home.”
The defense secretary has been embroiled in a controversial battle over the control of information since his tenure began in January.
Hegseth is a former host for Fox News. / Roy Rochlin / Getty Images
He has been on the war path to stamp out leaks—firing aides and reportedly subjecting staffers to polygraph tests—which has caused friction within his department.
Hegseth himself was implicated in the accidental sharing of “war plans” in a Signal group chat prior to a classified operation to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen in March. He has also been accused of allowing his third wife, Jennifer Rauchet, to sit in on classified meetings.
Pete Hegseth and RFK Jr. in the Pentagon promoting their exercise challenge—with a large photo of Hegseth and his wife adorning the wall. / screen grab
In July, it was reported that White House officials had privately warned Hegseth that his own position was in danger if he could not stem the scandals.
“While the Department remains committed to transparency, the Department is equally obligated to protect [classified national intelligence information] and sensitive information,” the new media guidelines memo from May reads.
President Donald Trump and Hegseth rebranded the Department of Defense in August. Defense Secretary Hegseth now identifies as “War Secretary” while his department has undergone a similar name change.
The administration does not actually have the power to rename a government department, so the new title is merely an additional one.
Pete Hegseth was captured shortly before midnight in December 2017, enjoying himself over drinks at a colleague’s wedding. He appeared on the air early the next morning. / Obtained by The Daily Beast
Shortly after Trump announced his pick for defense secretary, several of Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues went public with their concerns over his drinking habits, noting that he would often smell of alcohol and required “babysitting” in his role as a Fox & Friends co-host.
“He should not be secretary of defense,” a former Fox employee said at the time. “His drinking should be disqualifying.”
Jack Revell
Fri, September 19, 2025
DAILY BEAST
Yves Herman / Reuters
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has introduced new guidelines that heavily restrict press freedom at the so-called “Department of War.”
Reporters will now need express approval from the department in order to publish any information gathered at the Pentagon, and are forbidden from accessing most of the building without an escort.
Journalists will be made to sign compliance forms pledging to protect “sensitive information” and will be stripped of their credentials if they do not adhere to the new rules.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is introducing an effective veto over what can be reported from the Pentagon. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
In a new memo, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said that these “physical control measures” announced in May are now in effect.
“All members of the press issued a Pentagon Facility Alternate Credential (PFAC) will be required to read and sign a new in–brief form outlining information security requirements, the new physical control measures, and Department of War expectations of their compliance with safety and security requirements,” the memo, obtained by The Daily Wire, reads.
When the plans were originally announced, the Pentagon Press Association issued a statement decrying the move as “a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America’s right to know what its military is doing.”
Pete Hegseth shows off his tattoos, including the Crusader cross on his chest. / Pete Hegseth/Instagram
The Pentagon press corps have also characterized the changes as a “form of targeted retribution against publications that the Trump administration doesn’t like,” as criticisms of the White House’s suppression of free speech continue.
“The guidelines in the memo provided to credentialed resident media at the Pentagon reaffirms the standards that are already in line with every other military base in the country,” Parnell told the Daily Beast. “These are basic, common-sense guidelines to protect sensitive information as well as the protection of national security and the safety of all who work at the Pentagon.”
While most military bases do have strict security protocols for visitors, the Pentagon is not a typical military base. For decades, it has had a dedicated press corps who have been able to move freely about the site. This remained in place even in the wake of high-security risk incidents like the September 11 attacks.
Hegseth, himself a former Fox News anchor, has said on social media that he expects all reporters to comply or face the consequences.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon—the people do,“ Hegseth, 45, wrote on X. ”The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules—or go home.”
The defense secretary has been embroiled in a controversial battle over the control of information since his tenure began in January.
Hegseth is a former host for Fox News. / Roy Rochlin / Getty Images
He has been on the war path to stamp out leaks—firing aides and reportedly subjecting staffers to polygraph tests—which has caused friction within his department.
Hegseth himself was implicated in the accidental sharing of “war plans” in a Signal group chat prior to a classified operation to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen in March. He has also been accused of allowing his third wife, Jennifer Rauchet, to sit in on classified meetings.
Pete Hegseth and RFK Jr. in the Pentagon promoting their exercise challenge—with a large photo of Hegseth and his wife adorning the wall. / screen grab
In July, it was reported that White House officials had privately warned Hegseth that his own position was in danger if he could not stem the scandals.
“While the Department remains committed to transparency, the Department is equally obligated to protect [classified national intelligence information] and sensitive information,” the new media guidelines memo from May reads.
President Donald Trump and Hegseth rebranded the Department of Defense in August. Defense Secretary Hegseth now identifies as “War Secretary” while his department has undergone a similar name change.
The administration does not actually have the power to rename a government department, so the new title is merely an additional one.
Pete Hegseth was captured shortly before midnight in December 2017, enjoying himself over drinks at a colleague’s wedding. He appeared on the air early the next morning. / Obtained by The Daily Beast
Shortly after Trump announced his pick for defense secretary, several of Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues went public with their concerns over his drinking habits, noting that he would often smell of alcohol and required “babysitting” in his role as a Fox & Friends co-host.
“He should not be secretary of defense,” a former Fox employee said at the time. “His drinking should be disqualifying.”
Maya Yang
Sat, September 20, 2025
THE GUARDIAN
Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Washington on Friday.Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
The US military has issued new media restrictions demanding that journalists pledge not to gather any information – including unclassified documents – that has not been authorized for release or else risk revocation of their press passes.
In a memo issued Thursday, the Pentagon stated that “it remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust”. However, using an abbreviation for the recently rebranded Department of War headed by the Trump administration’s Pete Hegseth, the memo added: “DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified.”
It went on to say: “Only authorized persons who have received favorable determinations of eligibility for access, signed approved non-disclosure agreements, and have a need-to-know may be granted access to [classified national security information].”
Journalists reporting from the Pentagon are now required to sign a pledge agreeing to restrict their movements within the building and not to access any unauthorized materials. If they refuse to sign the pledge, their Pentagon press passes will be revoked.
In a post on X, Hegseth said Friday: “The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon – the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules – or go home.”
The latest memo follows the announcement by Hegseth in May regarding new press restrictions at the Pentagon. These restrictions limit reporters’ movements within the building to specific areas including the press pens, food court and courtyard. This is a departure from the usual practice under previous presidential administrations where reporters typically had more freedom of movement within the Pentagon.
Hegseth has severely limited media access after facing backlash for sharing sensitive information about US strikes in Yemen in March in a Signal group chat where a journalist was accidentally included.
Since he assumed office, Hegseth has maintained a hostile attitude towards major media networks. He ordered the removal of various longstanding news organizations including the New York Times, CNN, Politico and NPR from their dedicated offices in the Pentagon.
The Pentagon’s latest memo has drawn criticism from journalists and free press advocates, with the National Press Club’s president Mike Balsamo saying: “This is a direct assault on independent journalism at the very place where independent scrutiny matters most: the US military.
“If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting. It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American.”
Similarly, Freedom of the Press Foundation said “this policy operates as a prior restraint on publication, which is considered the most serious” violations of the press freedoms guaranteed by the US constitution’s first amendment.
“The government cannot prohibit journalists from public information merely by claiming it’s a secret,” the foundation said.
Meanwhile, Thomas Evans, editor in chief of National Public Radio (NPR), said his outlet was “taking this very seriously”.
“We’ll be working with other news organizations to push back,” Evans remarked. “We’re big fans of the first amendment and transparency, and we want the American public to understand what’s being done in their name.”
The Pentagon’s restrictions on media access come as Trump suggested recently that TV networks should be punished for “negative coverage”. That statement followed widespread backlash over ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s popular late-night show, on which the veteran comedian said that many in Trump’s Make America Great Again movement “are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk”, referring to the 10 September killing of the rightwing activist.
Speaking on Air Force One on Thursday, Trump said – without providing evidence – that “97% [of major US networks are] against me”.
“They give me only bad press,” he said, adding that he believed broadcasters should have their licenses “taken away” as a result.
Among those to endorse Trump’s argument was the US senator Cynthia Lummis. The Wyoming Republican recently told the US news website Semafor that such licenses are “a privilege” rather than a “right” – and she said to the outlet that she no longer believes the first amendment is “the ultimate right”.
“I feel like something’s changed culturally,” Lummis said, in part. “And I think there needs to be cognizance that things have changed.”
Pentagon Accused of ‘Intimidation’ With New Restrictions For Journalists
Rebecca Schneid
Sat, September 20, 2025
TIME
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L), accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (R), takes a question from a reporter during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Credit - Andrew Harnik—2025 Getty Images
The Pentagon released new restrictions for journalists covering the Department of Defense this week, requiring them to sign a pledge not to gather or report on information that has not been authorized for release—even if it is unclassified. Those who do not obey the new rules, the Pentagon said, risk having their press credentials revoked.
“The ‘press’ does not run the Pentagon — the people do. The press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility. Wear a badge and follow the rules — or go home,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X Friday evening.
The Department of Defense said in a 17-page memo circulated on Friday that, in addition to the new reporting rules, the around 90 reporters credentialed to cover the Pentagon will now be restricted from several floors of the building unless they have a government escort, which heavily restricts the movement of journalists who, for the most part, were previously able to walk the halls.
Longtime Pentagon press corps members and press freedom groups roundly condemned the move, characterizing it as an alarming shift away from decades of precedent set by previous administrations.
“It's 100% an intimidation tactic. It's 100% an attempt to kill transparency and funnel all public information through the government, which goes against every constitutional principle of free speech you can imagine,” Kevin Baron, the former vice president of the Pentagon Press Association who covered the Pentagon as a reporter for 15 years, told TIME.
Baron noted that Pentagon reporters have for decades had the ability to walk freely not just in the DoD headquarters, but also in the press offices for every service branch, from the Navy to the Army. The restrictions, Baron said, prevent reporters from doing their job entirely. In his fifteen years as a beat reporter at the Pentagon, Baron said it was incredibly rare for him to have to sign “anything,” and the only times he did were times in which his reporting affected the safety of those traveling into conflict zones.
Seth Stern of the Free Press Foundation said that the mandate goes against decades of legal precedent of journalists lawfully obtaining and publishing government secrets. He called the move “fundamentally un-American.”
“This policy operates as a prior restraint on publication which is considered the most serious of First Amendment violations,” Stern said. “[T]he government cannot prohibit journalists from public information merely by claiming it’s a secret or even a national security threat.”
Stern said that he hoped that journalists would not capitulate to the Pentagon’s new rules, and would forgo their access if they needed to.
“Agreeing not to look where the government doesn’t want you to look and, by extension, not to print what it doesn’t want you to print, is propaganda, not journalism,” Stern said.
The National Press Club president, Mike Balsamo, called the move a “direct assault on independent journalism.”
“If the news about our military must first be approved by the government, then the public is no longer getting independent reporting,” Balsamo said in a statement. “It is getting only what officials want them to see. That should alarm every American.”
The move comes at a time when the treatment of the press by the U.S. military and the government at large is under high scrutiny.
The new rules follow previous restrictions on movement Hegseth placed on journalists in May after he had been hit by several high-profile media leaks in his first few months in office, one of the most serious of which came after the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic detailed his experience of being accidentally placed in a Signal group chat with national-security leaders that included plans about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Hegseth has repeatedly denied this reporting.
The Pentagon in particular has had a tense, if not antagonistic, relationship with the press. In February, Hegseth instituted a new “annual media rotation program,” which essentially kicked out several news organizations from their Pentagon offices, including NBC News, the New York Times and National Public Radio (NPR), to rotate in new, conservative outlets, including One American Network, Newsmax and Breitbart, as well as the more progressive HuffPost.
After the Trump Administration’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Hegseth made headlines for continuously criticizing the Pentagon’s media corps, calling on them to focus on the details of the mission carried out by the U.S. military, rather than on leaked intelligence that argued that the damage made by the U.S. strikes was not as severe as desired.
The Pentagon’s attacks on the press come in conjunction with the Trump Administration's efforts to limit coverage and access to journalists. President Donald Trump also sued multiple news organizations during his first nine months in office, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, over their coverage.
Just this week, the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, threatened television stations with “fines or license revocation” if they continued distributing Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the comedian's late-night show, over comments he made about the recently assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Soon after, ABC network decided to indefinitely suspend the show, a move that has prompted criticism from free speech advocates. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it is just one move in Trump’s “unconstitutional plan to silence its critics and control what the American people watch and read.”
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