Media outlets, including Fox News and CNN, refuse to sign Pentagon’s press access rules

The Pentagon is seen from above in Arlington, Virginia. – Jen Golbeck/SOPA Images/Sipa/AP

The Pentagon is demanding that beat reporters agree to a new set of restrictive rules by Tuesday—or risk losing their press credentials on Wednesday. Nearly every major news organization has rejected the ultimatum, refusing to sign the pledge.

The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists covering the Department of Defense, says the policy, promoted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, “gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release.”

In a statement Monday, the association warned that “potential expulsion from the Pentagon should be a concern to all.”

Last month, Hegseth’s press office introduced rules requiring reporters to sign a pledge not to obtain or use unauthorized material—even if the information is unclassified. According to the guidance, journalists who refuse to sign could lose physical access to the Pentagon, a long-standing cornerstone of Washington-area military reporting.

ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and Fox News, where Hegseth was an on-air host for ten years, released a joint statement Tuesday condemning the new rules and refusing to comply.

“Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues,” the statement said. “The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. We will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press.”

Other prominent news organizations—including Reuters, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and NPR—have also confirmed that their reporters will not sign the Pentagon’s restrictions. Editors and journalists across these outlets have pledged to continue covering the military regardless of credential status, with some using the dispute to encourage sources to share information.

Even Newsmax, the pro-Trump cable network, stated Monday that its reporters have no plans to sign the pledge. “We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further,” the network said.

One America News remains the only media outlet to publicly accept the Pentagon’s rules.

The Pentagon Press Association says Hegseth and other officials have “systematically limited access to information about the U.S. military” throughout the year, including curtailing routine briefings, restricting newsrooms’ presence in Pentagon workspaces, and limiting reporters’ movement inside the building without escorts. Analysts link these restrictions to Hegseth’s longstanding frustration with leaks and the press.

“The rollout of these vague new policies appears to violate the First Amendment,” the association said Monday. While the Pentagon revised the language after negotiations, many newsrooms and media lawyers still find it unacceptable.

Some outlets are reportedly considering legal action. In the meantime, they are publicly declaring that the restrictions constitute “unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information,” as The Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray put it.

The association highlighted that the rules require reporters to acknowledge that harm will inevitably result from the disclosure of unauthorized information, whether classified or not—a claim the press says is demonstrably false.

Hegseth has dismissed critics’ concerns on social media, claiming the rules simply enforce three principles: “Press no longer roams free,” “press must wear visible badge,” and “credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts,” accompanied by a waving emoji in response to several outlets.

Beat reporters countered on X (formerly Twitter), calling Hegseth’s characterization misleading. The press association emphasized that “longstanding press access rules posed no national security threat, which is why those rules continued without problem for decades, across multiple administrations of both parties.”

Critics argue the new rules aim to hinder independent coverage of the Trump administration. NPR editor-in-chief Thomas Evans stressed the broader stakes: “This dispute is ultimately about newsrooms striving to produce trustworthy, independent journalism to the American public, free of government influence. We urge the Pentagon and the Administration to uphold freedom of the press and the American people’s right to know what is done in their name.”