On the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, several reporters from the Pentagon press office walked out of the Pentagon carrying boxes of files, chairs and even an entire copying machine. Fox News was among the big news corporations who refused to follow the new Pentagon press policy.
The new rules put into place by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth would restrict reporters from being transparent about military activity, requiring them to get approval from Hegseth’s team. It was initially proposed two weeks ago, already causing worry amongst the journalist community. The deadline for reporters to accept these terms was on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2025 at 4 p.m. Many waited until that exact time to give their press passes back before leaving their offices for the foreseeable future.
These rules are a direct violation of First Amendment rights and threaten journalistic protections. Hegseth has pledged to make this the most transparent Department of Defense in history, however since then there has been a decrease in communication between the military and civilians.
Many of the press correspondents, such as David Martin, had been reporting at the Pentagon since the 1980s. Between the 80s and now, many global conflicts involving the United States broke out, such as the First Gulf War and 9/11. The journalists who had press access were able to get an inside view on each conflict by being able to talk directly to the Defense Department and get the whole story out to the American public. Without major news outlets getting information about U.S. conflicts, there will be a lack of transparency to American citizens and the rest of the world about what is going on inside the Department of Defense.
The Pentagon claims that the primary reason they have implemented the new policies is to prevent press leaks and have control over all news stories covering topics related to The Department of Defense. Reporters will still do everything they can to get the accurate facts out to everyone without Pentagon interference and involvement.
The plan for most of the evicted press offices is to move locations and start working remotely with their new limited access to the pentagon.
The news stations that have decided to pull out of Pentagon press access are all independently run, much like many student-run newspapers across the country. Drew University has its own newspaper of this kind and covers news, student life, sports and opinions. By being independent, the Acorn is able to report on what they wish without any interference from the university’s president or any other member of administration. It is a freedom that many people are starting to realize is becoming endangered and one that news outlets are struggling to hang onto in this current political climate. American citizens must remain vigilant and continue to search for the truth about what is going on in our world.
Katie Germinder is a junior who is majoring in environmental studies and sustainability, minoring in anthropology.
