Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
WATCH: Press exit Pentagon after outlets reject new reporting rules
Posted
October 16, 2025
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October 16, 2025
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1:08Now PlayingReporters were seen exiting the Pentagon and vacating their workspaces in the building on Wednesday after most news organizations rejected the Defense Department's new press rules and refused to sign documents acknowledging the policy.
The new rules require members of the press to be escorted when accessing areas of the Pentagon and allow Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to revoke press access for reporters who request classified or unclassified information that he has not approved for release.
Reuters, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, PBS News, NPR, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and Newsmax are among the news organizations that have declined to sign the new policy, citing a violation of the free press in the U.S.
"The PBS News team, including our foreign affairs and defense team, will not be signing the Defense Department's new press policy. It is a direct violation of our duties as journalists to cover this administration and the Department without fear or favor," PBS News Hour Senior Executive Producer Sara Just, said.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said 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."
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