Reporters turn in access badges, exit Pentagon in protest against new reporting rules

Dozens of reporters in the US turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to the Trump administration-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power.

The Trump administration calls 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 p.m. deadline set by the Defence Department to get out of the building, but 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 their badges.

“It’s sad, but I’m 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.

The rules at the Pentagon come months after a major security breach when news emerged that Hegseth had twice shared military attack plans on his private phone with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.

It also comes as US President Donald 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.

However, it is unclear what practical impact the new rules will have, though news organisations vowed they’d continue robust coverage of the military no matter the vantage point.

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, had systematically choked off the flow of information. He’s 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. But journalists see that as a distinction without a difference.

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

The rules have drawn criticism from the Pentagon Press Association, which has some 101 members representing 56 news groups. Numerous media outlets, ranging from outlets like Newsmax and Fox to more legacy media like The New York Times and The Associated Press, advised their reporters to quit rather than sign the new regulations.