Tuesday 24 / March / 2026
Arlington: The Pentagon tightened restrictions on journalists covering the US military on Monday, days after a US court ruled that its previous attempt to overhaul press access was unconstitutional.
It announced that it would close the building's designated press area, and that "all journalist access to the Pentagon will require escort by authorised department personnel."
Sean Parnell, spokesperson for the military headquarters, said the changes were due to "security risks."
"Effective immediately, the Correspondents' Corridor is closed," he posted on X. A new workspace will be established in an "annex facility outside the Pentagon, but still on Pentagon grounds," the lengthy post said.
Pentagon to appeal court ruling
This clampdown is only the latest in a series of measures taken by US President Donald Trump and his top officials against journalists, especially when they disagree with their reporting.
On Friday, a federal judge ruled that the Department of War's changes to press access in 2025, where they withdrew accreditations to a host of prominent media outlets, violated the constitution.
The lawsuit was filed by The New York Times. The court further ordered the department to reinstate credentials to the Times' Pentagon reporters.
Parnell said the department "always complies with court orders" but will appeal Friday's ruling. He said that the Pentagon would re-issue credentials but annex reporters to the grounds.
"Credential holders will continue to have access to the Pentagon for scheduled press briefings, press conferences, and interviews arranged through public affairs offices," he said, arguing that while the Pentagon was committed to transparency, it was equally committed to security.
How did the press respond to Pentagon's new restrictions?
The Department of War's latest measure comes nearly a month into the US-Israel war with Iran — arguably a crucial time for defense reporters to have access to the top brass.
"Closing the Correspondents' Corridor and forcing escorted access undermines independent reporting at the Pentagon at a moment when the public needs clear, unfiltered information about the US military," National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. said in a statement.
The Pentagon Press Association said the announcement "is a clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week's ruling."
"At such a critical time, we ask why the Pentagon is choosing to restrict vital press freedoms that help inform all Americans,” the association said.
In 2025, the Pentagon vacated dedicated office spaces of eight media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NBC and NPR. It was allegedly done to create room for Trump-friendly outlets.
It also required the remaining outlets and their journalists to be accompanied by official escorts when going beyond a limited area within the Pentagon.
Several of the remaining outlets including the Times, Fox News, Associated Press and AFP declined to sign the new policy and lost their Pentagon credentials as a result.
