Late on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth imposed a number of restrictions on the media, including a ban on writers entering large swathes of the Pentagon without a government escort, places where the media has previously had access to as it covers the activities of the world’s most powerful government. His company, his top aides ‘ offices, and all of the other locations spread across the enormous building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force maintain media agencies are now in the Army’s, Air Force, and Navy’s, all of which are now closed. Without Hegseth’s consent and an chauffeur from his advisers, the internet will also be prohibited from access to the headquarters of the Pentagon’s senior military leaders, including Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine. The Joint Chiefs team has a long history of having a positive relationship with the press. Hegseth, the original Fox News Channel character, issued his purchase via a post on X just before the weekend before a holiday trip. He claimed that it was essential for national protection. The office is obligated to protect both defined intelligence and sensitive information, whose unintentional disclosure had put the lives of US service members in danger, Hegseth wrote. The Pentagon Press Association questioned whether operational issues were at perform, and compared the shift to Hegseth’s office’s past actions that hampered editors and their policy. There is no way to embellish it, he says. Secretary Hegseth’s note today appears to be a direct attack on the right of the press and American’s to understand what its army is doing, it said in a statement released on Friday night. The Pentagon Press Association is “extremely concerned” about the Pentagon’s decision to impede access to accredited journalists ‘ offices through unclassified, unsecure hallways. Additionally, Hegseth added that writers may be required to sign a form to safeguard sensitive information and will be given a new symbol that more plainly identifies them as journalists. If signing the kind would be a prerequisite for continuing to enter the building, it was unclear. The office was embarrassed by a hole to The New York Times two months ago that revealed businessman Elon Musk was scheduled to receive information about the US government’s plans in event a conflict with China broke out. Hegseth suspended two Pentagon leaders as part of an investigation into how that information got out, despite President Donald Trump‘s requests that the lecture never occurred. The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was unintentionally included in a group discussion on the Signal messaging apps during which Hegseth discussed plans for upcoming defense attacks in Yemen. The Pentagon was likewise embarrassed. Mike Waltz, Trump’s former national security adviser, accepted accountability for the inclusion of Goldberg and was given a different position. Since Trump took office, the administration has launched a number of violent press investigations, including those involving ABC, CBS, and NBC News. A judge case is still pending after restrictions were placed on The Associated Press ‘ access to some White House activities earlier this year. Additionally, the White House has made it easier for liberal media outlets that are sympathetic to the leader. However, a study that was released earlier this month found that none of Trump’s six forebears had the most frequent markets with investigators during his first 100 days in office. Hegseth has not, nevertheless, been very much available. In the Pentagon lecture room, he has not yet addressed the media. Since January 20, just one Pentagon press briefing has been held by Pentagon official Sean Parnell. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and NBC are just a few examples of the press being hampered by the Pentagon’s various initiatives, including leasing office space away from the Pentagon.
