{"id":4270,"date":"2026-06-02T02:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T02:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/02\/pentagon-bars-journalists-from-entering-its-press-office-citing-re-designation\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T02:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T02:46:00","slug":"pentagon-bars-journalists-from-entering-its-press-office-citing-re-designation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4270","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon bars journalists from entering its press office citing re-designation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"d369947d-5b0e-48dd-bcf7-a65be9a9e015\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An aerial view of the Pentagon in Arlington showing its distinctive five-sided structure surrounded by parking lots and highways.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c8bfd779d0df82903041fe29f745f77ce73e551e\/292_0_2295_1836\/master\/2295.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">An aerial view of the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia.<\/span> Photograph: Daniel Slim\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"d369947d-5b0e-48dd-bcf7-a65be9a9e015\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">An aerial view of the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia.<\/span> Photograph: Daniel Slim\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Pentagon bars journalists from entering its press office citing re-designation<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Revocation of access newest attempt by Trump\u2019s defense department to restrict reporting on military affairs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Journalists may no longer enter the Pentagon\u2019s press office, which has been designated as a classified space amid growing moves to restrict press access to the defense department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThis is the most transparent war department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that,\u201d Jose Valdez, the acting defense department press secretary, said in a social media post. \u201cThe Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Valdez added that, because speechwriters handle classified material, \u201cjournalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The move was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/06\/01\/pentagon-bans-journalists-press-office-designating-it-classified-space\/?utm_campaign=wp_main&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawSK8EZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEezu7nHuSZhrPtBUdsOJgNbcdULJ05Gq96RnEEYCP8KE7JukBuXN7WTL2y740_aem_zZbsHvzV3vSjeusGpxgQyA\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">first reported by the Washington Post<\/a>, and later confirmed by Valdez on social media.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"42731fd6-82b3-44a4-942d-80a01eec83cb\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ak3j0c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/transgender-troops-military-enlistment-ruling\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Transgender troops can remain in US military, but enlistment can be blocked, court rules<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The defense department, which the Trump administration prefers to call the war department, began rolling out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/sep\/20\/pentagon-journalists-restrictions-pledge\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">new restrictions to press access<\/a> in September, when the military demanded journalists pledge not to gather any information \u2013 including unclassified documents \u2013 that had not been authorized for release or else risk revocation of their press passes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Credentialed journalists have long had broad access to the Pentagon, but after the defense department announced sweeping restrictions to their work in October, many longtime reporters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/oct\/15\/pentagon-press-reporting-policy\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">refused to agree<\/a> and began turning over their press passes. That month, the department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/oct\/22\/pentagon-press-corps\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">announced<\/a> a \u201cnext generation of the Pentagon press corps\u201d featuring 60 journalists from far-right outlets. The New York Times sued the Pentagon over those policies, which designated journalists as \u201csecurity risks\u201d, and a federal judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/20\/us-judge-blocks-pentagon-policy\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">found in the Times\u2019s favor in March<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In response, the defense department issued an interim policy barring journalists from visiting the Pentagon without an official escort. A district judge ruled that that interim policy violated his order, but it remained in place when an appeals court stayed part of the ruling to allow the government time to appeal. In May, the New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/new-york-times-pentagon-press-restrictions-lawsuit\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">sued the Pentagon again<\/a> over that policy a second time, arguing that it constituted \u201can unconstitutional attempt by the Pentagon to prevent independent reporting on military affairs\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-military\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US military<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Pentagon%20bars%20journalists%20from%20entering%20its%20press%20office%20citing%20re-designation&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/pentagon-journalists-press-office-access-revoked?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjun%2F01%2Fpentagon-journalists-press-office-access-revoked&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/pentagon-journalists-press-office-access-revoked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An aerial view of the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia. Photograph: Daniel Slim\/AFP\/Getty Images View image in fullscreen An<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}