Journalists covering the Pentagon must promise to only publish approved information and are no longer allowed to move freely in the building. Even non-secret information is stopped if it lacks formal approval, which in practice excludes anonymous sources.
"The press does not control the Pentagon - the people do. Carry a tray and follow the rules, or go home", writes Defense Minister Pete Hegseth on X.
The measure comes just days after the President of the United States Donald Trump celebrated that talk show host Jimmy Kimmel got fired by ABC after joking about the right's reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Trump said that other TV channels that give him "bad press" risk losing their broadcasting licenses.
The New York Times calls the new rules in the Pentagon "yet another step in a worrying trend to reduce transparency in what the military does with tax money".
The National Press Club urges the Pentagon to withdraw the decision:
"If news about our military must first be approved by the government, the public will no longer get independent reporting - only what the authorities want to show", says the club's chairman Mike Balsamo, in a statement.
