Saed News: The US Department of War has banned journalists from accessing its press office.
According to SAEDNEWS, the US Department of War has turned its press office into a confidential and classified space in a new move and has banned journalists from accessing this section.
The ministry stated in a press release that for years journalists were able to use the Pentagon press office to obtain information from military officials, but now this office has been designated as a classified and confidential area for media, and journalists are no longer allowed to enter.
The statement added that as a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office, and there is no further discussion on the matter.
According to Politico, this decision is part of restrictive media policies introduced by Pete Hegseth, the War Secretary in the Trump administration, a policy that began last year with reduced media access to the Pentagon building and has drawn criticism from outlets such as The New York Times.
This move has triggered widespread reactions from US media. In the past, journalists could freely enter and exit the Pentagon press office, but now many major media outlets have lost their access permits, and some right-leaning media organizations have replaced them.
The Pentagon press office is a large open space where public affairs staff of the Department of Defense have worked for years, and it has been open to journalists for questions, interviews, and scheduled meetings with defense officials. However, classified information was never released there.
These restrictions have faced criticism from media organizations and legal challenges, and a US federal court had previously ruled that some similar Trump administration measures against the press violated press freedom.
Meanwhile, a few months ago, the Pentagon announced new media restrictions and policies.
Under these rules, journalists must acknowledge that if they request classified or certain types of unclassified information from Department of War employees, they may be considered a security risk and their Pentagon press credentials could be revoked.
The Department of War also restricted media access inside the Pentagon, forcing some outlets to vacate their offices in the building and reducing the number of press briefings.
Earlier, the Pentagon had also announced that accredited journalists at military headquarters must sign agreements not to report information that has not been authorized for release, including unclassified material.
Prior to that, Hegseth had ordered that journalists must be escorted by official personnel to enter many areas of the Pentagon building.
