June 2, 2026, 12:12 p.mJune 2, 2026, 12:12 p.m
The Pentagon has again tightened the rules for media representatives. Journalists will no longer be allowed access to the press office of the US Department of Defense, which is now called the War Department.
Ministry spokesman Joel Valdez announced this on the X platform.
This is the most transparent War Department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that.
The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War… https://t.co/tlWb1XIeOk
— Acting Press Sec Joel Valdez (@JoelValdezDOW) June 1, 2026
The press office was classified as a “particularly vulnerable” area because speechwriters for the Defense Minister also used the premises. These “regularly deal with secret documents,” wrote Valdez.
The move comes amid a legal battle over the department’s press guidelines. According to US media, media representatives were traditionally allowed to stay in public areas of the Pentagon and speak to employees.
The New York Times sued Pentagon
Last fall, the Pentagon introduced new guidelines. These stipulated that journalists were not allowed to publish any information without the permission of the ministry – otherwise their accreditation threatened to be withdrawn. Reporters who did not agree to this had to hand in their IDs and vacate their jobs. Almost all major US media companies refused to sign the 21-page catalog of rules.
The New York Times filed a lawsuit against the guidelines. Federal judge Paul Friedman then declared it unconstitutional. The Pentagon responded with new rules: Until a new decision is made, journalists are only allowed access to the ministry if accompanied by “authorized personnel”.
Critics see freedom of the press under threat
Since US President Donald took office again, the Republican government has tried to restrict access to independent media with various measures. The composition of the so-called White House press pool was changed, meaning that agencies such as the Associated Press (AP), Reuters and Bloomberg lost their permanent positions.
Instead, right-wing bloggers and social media influencers known as “new media” were admitted, from whom the government has little to fear critical questions at press conferences. Trump also sued various media outlets for high fines because of their reporting. While he describes unpleasant journalists and entire editorial departments as left-wing radicals, critics see press freedom in the USA as being threatened. (sda/dpa)