The Pentagon Press Association (PPA), representing journalists who cover the U.S. Department of Defense, has denounced a new press access policy that could revoke reporters’ credentials as early as next week. The association warned that the move could severely limit the media’s ability to cover the world’s most powerful military.
In a statement released Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the PPA said the new policy sends “an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission, which plainly, it is not.”
The statement followed negotiations between the Pentagon and several media outlets that resulted in partial revisions to the department’s original proposal. Reuters, a member of the association alongside The New York Times, ABC News, and Fox News, said it was continuing to review its options.
“Consistent with our commitment to supply reliable, impartial and independent news, we are continuing to review our options,” a Reuters spokesperson said.
A New York Times spokesperson also voiced concern, saying, “The Times appreciates the Pentagon’s engagement, but problems remain with the policy and we and other news organizations believe further changes are needed.”
ABC and Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The updated policy, issued under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, marks a further tightening of press access to the Pentagon. The original version required journalists to sign off on clauses warning that they could lose credentials if they published unapproved, unclassified information. Critics said such measures could suppress independent reporting.
While the revised policy no longer requires reporters to sign those acknowledgments, it still mandates that they confirm in writing that they “understand” the rules. The association argues that this language unlawfully restricts newsgathering and could expose journalists to prosecution, further limiting public access to information about the military.
The Pentagon also plans to relocate all media outlets from their current offices within the building, a move the PPA says would “further isolate reporters” and make it harder for them to engage even with official spokespeople authorized to release public information.
A Pentagon memo accompanying the policy states that any information shared by a service member or defense employee must be approved for public release by an “appropriate authorizing official,” even when the material is not classified.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the new policy, saying in a social media post that the department had acted in “good faith negotiations” with the press.
“Our policy is also clear: soliciting DOW (Department of War) service members and civilians to commit crimes is strictly prohibited. Beyond their displeasure at no longer being permitted to solicit criminal acts, the Pentagon Press Association’s objection to our updated media policy is that we require journalists to simply acknowledge they understand our rules protecting information critical to operational and national security,” Parnell said.
The controversy comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” pending congressional approval.
Advocacy groups have also expressed alarm. Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said, “The fact is we still have concerns with the updated language of the policy and expect that it will pose a significant impediment as journalists weigh with their employers whether or not to sign this revised version.”
The policy shift adds to growing fears among press freedom advocates and First Amendment scholars that the Trump administration’s actions collectively represent a broader attempt to restrict free speech and weaken media oversight.
Since 2020, Trump has filed nine media-related civil suits, including a $15 billion defamation case against The New York Times and Penguin Random House in September, and a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal in July.
