In its latest move to restrict media access, the Pentagon has declared its own press office a “classified space” and barred journalists from entering.
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the decision on X, describing it as “nothing controversial.”
He explained that speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War now share the space and routinely handle classified material, prompting the office’s redesignation as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF).
“As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space,” Valdez wrote, reports AP.
The change, first reported by The Washington Post, comes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and US media – conflicts playing out both publicly and in court.
For years, Pentagon reporters had credentials allowing broad access to engage with press officials. But last October, most news outlets surrendered their badges and left the building rather than accept government-imposed work restrictions.
The New York Times sued the Defense Department on May 18 for the second time in five months, arguing that a requirement for journalists to be escorted on Pentagon grounds violates the First Amendment and represents “an unconstitutional attempt by the Pentagon to prevent independent reporting on military affairs.”
The paper was first sued in December over rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, challenging an interim policy enacted after a federal judge had initially ruled in the Times’ favor.
The escort policy took effect in March, following a ruling by US District Judge Paul L. Friedman that struck down earlier restrictions.
Though Friedman ruled the following month that the interim policy violated his March order, the escort requirement remained after an appeals court partially stayed his decision while the government appeals. That process is ongoing.
