"NEW YORK — Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power. The nation’s leadership called the new rules “common sense” to help regulate a “very disruptive” press.

News outlets were nearly unanimous in rejecting new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved by Hegseth for release.

Many of the reporters waited to leave together at a 4 p.m. deadline set by the Defense Department to get out of the building. As the hour approached, boxes of documents lined a Pentagon corridor and reporters carried chairs, a copying machine, books and old photos to the parking lot from suddenly abandoned workspaces. Shortly after 4, about 40 to 50 journalists left together after handing in badges."

David Bauder reports for the Associated Press October 15, 2025. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Reporters Leave Pentagon En Masse After Refusing To Sign On To New Rules" (Washington Post) [3]

""A Dark Day": Pentagon Confiscates Badges Of Defense Reporters" (Axios) [4]

"Opinion: Why I'm Handing In My Pentagon Press Pass" (NPR) [5]

"How the Pentagon Is Blocking Out News Organizations" (New York Times) [6]