30 US News Organisations Refuse To Accept New Pentagon Press Policy

Last Updated:October 16, 2025, 00:04 IST

According to the policy, the journalists could be branded security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask for disclosure of classified information

US President Donald Trump. (Image: X/@WhiteHouse)

At least 30 media organisations have refused to sign the new Pentagon access policy for journalists and warned of the possibility of less comprehensive coverage of the world’s most powerful military ahead of a Tuesday deadline to accept new restrictions, Reuters reported.

According to the policy, the journalists have to accept the new rules on press access which includes that they could be branded security risks and even have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask for disclosure of classified and some types of unclassified information.

The news organisations that have refused to sign the policy are Reuters, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, Axios, Politico, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Hill, Newsmax, Breaking Defense and Task & Purpose.

In a joint statement, the organisations said: “Today, we join virtually every other news organization in declining to agree to the Pentagon’s new requirements, which would restrict journalists’ ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues. The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. We will continue to cover the U.S. military as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press."

Meanwhile, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Monday: “The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is. This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country."

Defending the policy, President Donald Trump told reporters that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth “finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace and maybe security for our nation".

News world 30 US News Organisations Refuse To Accept New Pentagon Press Policy

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