Pentagon bars journalists from press office, citing classified space redesignation

Journalists are now barred from entering the Pentagon’s press office, which has been designated a classified space, signaling a further tightening of press access to the U.S. defense department.

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This is the most transparent war department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that.

Jose Valdez, the acting defense department press secretary, stated on social media that the Pentagon Press Office was redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) because speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War share the space and handle classified material. "Journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space," Valdez announced.

This decision comes amid a broader trend of increased restrictions on media access to the Pentagon. In September, the defense department implemented new rules requiring journalists to pledge they would not gather any information, including unclassified documents, unless it was authorized for release, or risk losing their press passes. This policy has led to some long-time reporters returning their credentials.

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The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility.

The situation has been contentious, with the New York Times suing the Pentagon over previous policies that designated journalists as "security risks." A federal judge initially ruled in favor of the Times, but the defense department issued an interim policy requiring journalists to have an official escort to visit the Pentagon. This policy was challenged in court, with the New York Times filing a second lawsuit in May, arguing it unconstitutionally impedes independent reporting on military affairs.

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journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space.

Valdez's statement also included a jab at the media, saying, "This is the most transparent war department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that." The defense department, which the Trump administration prefers to call the war department, has also been criticized for its "next generation of the Pentagon press corps" initiative, which featured journalists from far-right outlets.

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The New York Times sued the Pentagon over those policies, which designated journalists as “security risks”, and a federal judge found in the Times’s favor in March.