‘We are not backing down’: Reporters pack up, walk out as Pentagon ‘confiscates’ almost all press badges

Washington: Journalist Tara Copp has covered the military for nearly 20 years and worked out of the Pentagon for more than a decade. Today, along with almost all her colleagues, she packed up her things, handed in her press pass and walked out of the building.

It made for an extraordinary sight: the Pentagon press corps filing out of the war department’s headquarters, carrying boxes and saying goodbye, after their credentials were cancelled for refusing to sign up to new conditions that media outlets have described as censorious, anti-democratic and “disturbing”.

“We all left together,” Copp said. “There were probably 45 to 50 of us … we gathered as a group one last time. We’re entirely proud of how we’ve handled this. We are not backing down, we are not compromising.”

Among other things, the new policy issued by War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s department stipulates journalists should not solicit classified or controlled unclassified information that officials have not authorised for public release.

The revised guidelines say reporters may be considered a security risk if they “solicit the disclosure of such information, or otherwise encourage Pentagon personnel to violate laws and policies” about disclosure.

This may include directly asking for such information, or general appeals “such as public advertisements or calls for tips encouraging Department of War employees to share non-public Department of War information”.

There are also measures requiring accredited journalists to have escorts in more parts of the building and wear more obvious press badges – though security has always been tight at the Pentagon.

Almost every news organisation across the political spectrum refused to accept the conditions, including News Corp’s Fox News, the conservative channel Newsmax, major newspapers and TV networks, and newswires such as AP, Reuters and AFP.

At least one outlet – the right-wing One America News Network – agreed to the terms.

“Today, the defence department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organisation in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement.

“It did this because reporters would not sign on to a new media policy over its implicit threat of criminalising national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution.”

The group said its members would continue to cover military affairs from outside the building. “But make no mistake, this is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening US commitment to transparency in governance, to public accountability at the Pentagon and to free speech for all.”

Copp, who works for The Washington Post, said reporters at the Pentagon spent the day clearing out their stuff, dismantling equipment and farewelling colleagues. She collected numerous items of historical interest, such as signs for different media bureaus, fearing they would otherwise be lost forever.

Later in the day, the reporters handed in their badges one by one. Copp said there was no sign the Pentagon considered a compromise as the deadline approached on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday AEST).

“Oh no, the people that instituted this basically hid from us all day. They were just in their offices, they didn’t come out,” she said.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, and US President Donald Trump both defended the new policy during a news conference the previous day.

Hegseth said the policy was reasonable because Pentagon access was a privilege, not a right, and accredited journalists would “no longer [be] permitted to solicit criminal acts” by seeking controlled information.

“It’s commonsense stuff,” said Hegseth, who was in hot water earlier this year after sharing sensitive details about an imminent military operation on a group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. “We’re trying to make sure national security is respected, and we’re proud of the policy.”

Hegseth focused on changes to building access, wrongly claiming that journalists were previously allowed to go “pretty much anywhere” inside the department’s headquarters without a press badge.

But the media outlets and the Pentagon Press Association made clear it was the new restrictions on reporting and seeking information that led them to refuse to sign and thus relinquish their access.

Trump backed Hegseth, saying, “I think he finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace and maybe security for our nation. The press is very dishonest.”

He added: “When it comes to war … It bothers me to have soldiers and even high-ranking generals walking around with you guys on their sleeve because they can make a mistake and a mistake can be tragic.”

Copp accused Hegseth of misrepresenting the way Pentagon reporting worked and how the building actually operated.

“This is an attack on the First Amendment,” she said. “Despite what Hegseth and the administration are trying to argue, this is all about limiting access and limiting the public’s right to know.”

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