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A couple of days ago, we brought you a story about the Pentagon’s new press rules — and, the fact that the vast majority of major news outlets were outright rejecting them.
Full scoop here:
JUST IN: Major News Outlets REJECT Pete Hegseth’s New Pentagon Press Policy
TLDR: Reporters were given until Tuesday to either sign a pledge agreeing to Pete Hegseth’s new rules for journalists at the Pentagon or turn in their press credentials.
Now, the Tuesday deadline has come and gone.
And, the vast majority of news outlets are out at the Pentagon!
Almost every single major news organization in the United States refused to sign the pledge, and so, their press credentials were confiscated today.
See here:
🚨 BREAKING: The Pentagon has just confiscated the badges of nearly every major media organization in the United States, barring their access, after they refused to sign on to Pete Hegseth’s new security rules to guard sensitive information.
Reporters were seen leaving.
“Today,… pic.twitter.com/icRZWDhxaj
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 15, 2025
BREAKING: The Pentagon has just confiscated the badges of nearly every major media organization in the United States, barring their access, after they refused to sign on to Pete Hegseth’s new security rules to guard sensitive information.
Reporters were seen leaving.
“Today, the Defense Department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America. It did this because reporters would not sign onto a new media policy over its implicit threat of criminalizing national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution,” the Pentagon Press Association said
Here’s a video of reporters leaving the Pentagon after handing over their badges:
Journalists left earlier today from the Pentagon after almost all media outlets refused to sign Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s new press “pledge.” pic.twitter.com/HrwSngnVVt
— Gabriela Iglesias
Journalists left earlier today from the Pentagon after almost all media outlets refused to sign Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s new press “pledge.” 
(@iglesias_gabby) The Pentagon Press Association, which was made up of 101 members from 56 news outlets, released a statement after walking out.
Per Axios:
What they’re saying: “Today, the Defense Department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement on Thursday.
- “The Pentagon Press Association’s members are still committed to reporting on the U.S. military,” they wrote.
- “But make no mistake, today, Oct. 15, 2025 is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all.”
- The Defense Department did not immediately respond to Axios’ Thursday evening request for comment.
Driving the news: The Pentagon announced the new restrictions last month, and gave newsrooms until Tuesday to commit to adhering to them.
- Media companies broadly rejected the pledge, claiming it would criminalize national security reporting and expose those who sign the contract to potential prosecution.
- Outlets including Axios, Fox News, NBC, ABC, CNN, NPR, AP, the Washington Post and the New York Times said they would not sign the pledge, while the conservative cable network One America News (OAN), indicated that it would sign it.
Keep in mind that these rules were things like “journalists must identify themselves with badges.”
Hegseth made it clear:
Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right. So, here is @DeptofWar press credentialing FOR DUMMIES:
DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 13, 2025
Press no longer roams freePentagon access is a privilege, not a right. So, here is @DeptofWar
press credentialing FOR DUMMIES:
DONE. Pentagon now has same rules as every U.S military installation
Yet, for some reason, reporters are claiming this is a violation of the free press.
I simply don’t get it.
AP has more:
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.
“It’s sad, but I’m also really proud of the press corps that we stuck together,” said Nancy Youssef, a reporter for The Atlantic who has had a desk at the Pentagon since 2007. She took a map of the Middle East out to her car.
For the record, the only news outlet that actually signed the pledge agreeing to the new rules was One America News Network (OANN).
Matt Gaetz confirmed:
Frankly I’m shocked these weren’t already the rules.
It’s the PENTAGON! @oann is happy to follow these reasonable conditions, grounded in care for our national security. https://t.co/gv78Tvg8W0
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) October 13, 2025
Grok provided a full list of all the refusers:
- The New York Times: Called it a threat to routine news gathering.
- The Washington Post: Deemed it unconstitutional.
- Associated Press: Refused to limit protected reporting.
- Reuters: Cited commitment to impartial news.
- CNN: Joined broadcast networks’ joint refusal.
- Fox News: Hegseth’s former employer; rejected as unprecedented.
- ABC News: Part of joint statement against restrictions.
- CBS News: Part of joint statement against restrictions.
- NBC News: Part of joint statement against restrictions.
- NPR: Warned it would turn journalists into “stenographers.”
- The Atlantic: Opposed limits on taxpayer-funded info access.
- Politico: Viewed as intimidation of sources.
- The Guardian: Declined due to First Amendment concerns.
- Newsmax: Called rules “unnecessary and onerous.”
- The Wall Street Journal: Refused to agree to the pledge.
- Bloomberg News: Rejected as eroding press freedoms.
- The Hill: Part of widespread media pushback.
- Axios: Highlighted threats to public interest journalism.
- Breaking Defense: Specialized outlet; declined signing.
- Task & Purpose: Defense-focused; refused policy.
- HuffPost: Called it aimed at “snuffing out” news-gathering.
- Financial Times: Joined international refusals.
- BBC: Will not sign, citing press freedom risks.
- NewsNation: Refused amid broader media consensus.
- Washington Examiner: Conservative outlet; declined despite alignment.
- Daily Caller: Gained workspace but refused rules.
- Breitbart News: Gained workspace but no signing confirmation.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.