Journalists barred from Pentagon press office after reclassification

The Pentagon press office was recently reclassified as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, barring journalists from entering the space, according to acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez. The Defense Department decided to do so because speechwriters from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office began sharing the facility, and they needed to handle classified information and use a Secret Internet Protocol Router Network outside individuals are prohibited from accessing, Valdez said.

Valdez said journalists could still access some Defense Department officials’ offices, including his own and that of Hegseth’s assistant for public affairs, Sean Parnell— but only by appointment.

Weren’t press spaces already closed? The Defense Department closed all press workspaces in the Pentagon in March, agreeing to set up a new press office in an annex. However, litigation over that move is ongoing. The reclassification of the press space could prevent journalists from working inside the Pentagon, even if a judge eventually rules against the earlier closures. Valdez did not say whether the reclassification also applied to the annex building or if it was restricted to the spaces inside the Pentagon itself.

The Pentagon has increasingly tightened restrictions on journalists for months. In October 2025, most well-known media outlets pulled staff from office spaces inside the building and handed in their press access badges after the Defense Department set new rules requiring reporters not to publish unauthorized information. After a judge struck down most of the new policy, the department closed the press space and said reporters could only enter the Pentagon with an official escort.

Dig deeper: Read my story covering the most recent development in the litigation surrounding the Pentagon’s press policy changes.