Pentagon tightens press access with new reporting restrictions

The Department of Defense this month issued a revised set of restrictions for reporters with access to the Pentagon, requiring credentialed journalists to acknowledge new limits on soliciting or publishing unauthorized information and imposing escorted access to certain areas, officials said. The department gave news organizations a deadline to accept the terms by Tuesday at 5 p.m. or face having their press credentials returned within 24 hours, prompting multiple organizations to refuse the pledge and sparking a dispute over media access and national security protections.

Defense officials said the policy was aimed at stemming unauthorized leaks from inside the complex and clarifying long-standing security rules. The revised guidance broadens prohibitions to include not only accessing unauthorized material but soliciting it, and it requires reporters to acknowledge that they understand the restrictions. A Pentagon spokesperson said access to the building is a privilege, not a right, and that the department must impose reasonable regulations in the interest of troop safety and national security.

Journalists and press advocacy groups involved in consultations with the department...