The Pentagon has revoked journalists' access to its press office, redesignating it as a classified space. The move is the latest in a series of restrictions on press coverage of military affairs under the Trump administration.
Acting Pentagon press secretary Jose Valdez announced the change on social media, stating that the press office had been reclassified as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters handling classified material. "Journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space," Valdez wrote.
The Washington Post first reported the development, which follows a federal court ruling in March that found earlier restrictions violated the First Amendment. The New York Times had sued the Pentagon over policies that designated journalists as security risks and limited their access.
In response to that ruling, the Pentagon issued an interim policy barring journalists from visiting without an official escort. A district judge ruled that policy violated his order, but an appeals court stayed part of the ruling pending appeal. The Times filed a second lawsuit in May, arguing the restrictions were unconstitutional.
Credentialed journalists have historically enjoyed broad access to the Pentagon. However, since October, many have refused to agree to new terms requiring them not to gather any unauthorised information, and have surrendered their press passes. The department has since introduced a "next generation" press corps featuring 60 journalists from far-right outlets.
