October 15, 2025
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after new press rules
Major news outlets call policy "unprecedented peacetime censorship" on unclassified information
🏛️Government✊Civil Rights
Dozens of credentialed Pentagon reporters turned in access badges and left Pentagon offices on Oct. 15, 2025.
The Defense Department issued a written policy requiring reporters to acknowledge rules limiting use of unauthorized material, including some unclassified information.
One America News publicly said it would sign the department's acknowledgment; most major legacy outlets declined.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the policy as "commonsense," while the Pentagon Press Association urged reconsideration.
🏛️Government✊Civil Rights
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Q1
The Pentagon changed the rules by issuing a written acknowledgment as a credential condition.
Q2
Complete the sentence about constitutional risk
Q3
Claim: The Pentagon said the new rules matched typical base access policies.
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Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Defense
Sean Parnell
Pentagon spokesman
Pentagon Press Association
Representative body for Pentagon correspondents
One America News Network
MAGA-aligned broadcaster