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Pentagon Bars Journalists From Press Office After Redesignating It a Classified Space

The department says speechwriters who handle classified material need secure SIPRNet access, so the room was converted to a SCIF and reporters were excluded.

FILE - The Pentagon is viewed from the window of an airplane Aug. 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - Washington Post reporter Tara Copp saves the name plaques from various news organizations as she and members of the media pack up their belongings in the press area in the Pentagon, Oct. 15, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
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Overview

  • The Pentagon announced on Monday that its press office has been redesignated a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, and acting press secretary Joel Valdez said journalists will no longer be allowed inside that workspace.
  • Defense officials say the change was driven by speechwriters moved into the office who routinely handle classified material and need SIPRNet, the Pentagon’s secure network for classified communications.
  • Journalists can still meet senior public affairs officials but only by appointment, and routine, informal access to public affairs staff at their desks has been curtailed.
  • Press groups and major news organizations condemned the move as a sharp narrowing of transparency, and The New York Times and others continue legal challenges to recent Pentagon access and escort rules.
  • The redesignation builds on access limits put in place since early 2025, and the shift could reduce informal reporting, complicate oversight of military operations, and prolong courtroom disputes over press rights.