Pentagon Shuts Down Press Office, Says It’s Class‑Sensitive


In a move that could limit information flow to the public, the U.S. Department of Defense declared that its Pentagon press office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). The change means that journalists can no longer access the building’s designated media space.


Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez posted on X that the office “has been redesignated … due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility.” He added, “These speechwriters routinely handle classified material … as a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space.” Valdez emphasized that the decision was “nothing controversial.”


The move follows a pattern of tightening press access. In October, many news organizations withdrew their access badges and walked out of the Pentagon rather than accept escalating restrictions. Earlier this year, the Pentagon announced that reporters must be escorted during every visit to the base, a policy ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in a New York Times lawsuit.


The New York Times sued the Defense Department on May 18 for the second time in five months, arguing that the escort requirement contravenes the First Amendment and represents an “unconstitutional attempt to prevent independent reporting on military affairs.” The lawsuit follows a December filing that challenged new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the judge’s decision.


In March, a U.S. District Court judge struck down earlier restrictions but later ruled that the Pentagon’s interim policy violated his March order. An appeals court stayed portions of that ruling while the government appealed, leaving the escort policy in place during the ongoing legal dispute.


For reporters, the SCIF designation signals a harder reality: even inside the Pentagon, a critical national security hub, journalists may find themselves barred from the very walls where they aim to gather information. The broader trend underscores rising friction between a military establishment and a media community intent on preserving open access to the public's right to know.


}