The Pentagon has pushed for new policies about info that journalists can report on related to the Dept of Def.

Question

The Pentagon has pushed for new policies about the information that journalists can report on related to the Department of Defense. According to the BBC one of the policies says that military personnel cannot share information without the approval of the DOD.

Answer 1

This claim is that the Pentagon has attempted to implement new policies about the information journalists will be allowed to report regarding the Department of Defense (Now the Department of War). It specifically mentions a claim that military personnel will not be able to present journalists with any information without prior approval from the Department of War. 

An article published by BBC, written by Brajesh Upadhyay

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0ygg06pgko

This article is linked in the original post. 

The article mentions the policy submitted and claims that it contains a “provision that military personnel need approval before sharing information with the media, even if it isn't classified.” 

An article published by Aljazeera, written by Aren Hale

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/16/us-media-return-pentagon-passes-giving-up-access-after-new-rules-kick-in

This article also mentions this document. It escalates it further than the BBC article and claims that reporters were given a deadline of Wednesday afternoon to sign a 21 page document. This document contains the rules to receive press credentials and access the Pentagon. This article presents quotes from the Pentagon Press association. These quotes claim that  “reporters would not sign onto a new media policy over its implicit threat of criminalising national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution.” Over 30 news outlets have declined to follow the new guidelines issued by the Department of War. 

An article published by Fox 21 News, written by David Bauder

https://www.fox21news.com/news/national/ap-journalists-turn-in-access-badges-exit-pentagon-rather-than-agree-to-new-reporting-rules/

Confirms that this is a legitimate policy being implemented by Pete Hegseth and that journalists have nearly unanimously refused to abide and have vacated the pentagon.

This claim is true, and the Pentagon has not only attempted to implement these policies, but they have successfully pushed the policies forward despite dissent from journalists and news outlets. Based on this Reuters article (https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-news-outlets-reject-pentagon-press-access-policy-2025-10-14/), which was updated ten hours ago, the Pentagon has chosen to revise the policy. Despite revision, the Pentagon remains adamant that publishing information that may be sensitive is not entirely protected by the First Amendment. The Pentagon has directly stated that “The press's rights are not absolute.”

Comments

I really liked how you included direct quotes from your sources and accurately summarized the main points. Also, the quantitative details, like the 21 page document and 30 news outlets, are helpful in understanding the dilemma. Something that confused me was the first source you used, Aljazeera, which I had never heard of. After some research I found that they are a very credible international news source. I think providing some brief background on your news sources could strengthen your argument. As someone who is interested in keeping up with this story as it develops, I appreciated how you found the most recent and truthful information through the Reuters article.

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This piece was structured beautifully and logically with clear analytical evidence. I like that you supported it through multiple credible sources. The writing is easy to follow and the conclusion wraps up well and is strong. Maybe doing a brief description of the sources, if they are biased, and where they stand politically would help this answer be amazing.

Answer 2

The claim that I will be fact-checking is: “The Pentagon has pushed for new policies about the information that journalists can report on related to the Department of Defense”.

This claim was originally posted from an article from the BBC News, which is already on the list of credible sources provided by News Detective. I wanted to search for more support on this claim, and I found an article on NPR titled “Defense Secretary Hegseth requires new ‘pledge’ for reporters at the Pentagon”. According the the NPR article, it says, “Going forward, journalists must sign a pledge not to gather any information, including unclassified reports, that hasn't been authorized for release”. Journalists who don’t follow the new policy will be seen as a “security risk” and will have their credentials taken away. The new restrictions are due to a broader policy set by the Trump administration that wants to limit coverage from outlets that President Trump deems unfair. Regarding the original News Detective post that says that military personnel can’t share information without the approval of the DOD, I did not find that specific information in the NPR article. However, the closest quote that highlights a similar policy says, “...DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified”. The DOD (The Department of Defense) has been renamed to the DOW (The Department of War). This doesn’t specifically point out military personnel, but I think that it is inferred by the quote that anyone needs approval from the DOW before releasing information. Overall, both of these sources are from the News Detective credible source list, and both sources include the new policy regarding information that journalists can report on.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/g-s1-89713/pentagon-new-strict-guidelines-for-media

Answer 3

I like how the caption is factual and directly related to the article. The summary of the article is also very straight forward and easy to understand. The only thing I would have added is how this policy was annouced, which the article says it was through X. This is because it is important to understand how such a large social shift can be announced over a media platform like X.

Answer 4

This fact check asks us if there are new policies being put in place about what information journalists can report about the now named Department of War. Specifically it says military personnel cannot share information without the approval of the DOW before hand.

The source given to us in the Fact Check post link does corroborate this claim and in the article from a trusted source (BBC) we can see the president agreeing with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's enactment of these restrictions. "The press is very dishonest," Trump said, adding, the restrictions were necessary because Hegseth "finds the press to be very disruptive".

Another source I found that agree with this claim is from PBS where they say "Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power. The U.S. government has called the new rules “common sense.”" This same article also includes a video of the journalists leaving the Pentagon which shows that this is a very trustworthy source link.

This claim is accurate, and in spite of opposition from reporters and news organizations, the Pentagon has not only tried to execute these infractions on journalistic integrity but has also been effective in doing so. According to this article on Reuters link we can see that the policy has been revised by the Pentagon, but the Pentagon maintains that the First Amendment does not fully protect the publication of potentially sensitive information, even after amendment. "The rights of the press are not absolute," the Pentagon has explicitly said which lead to "At least 30 news organizations declined to sign a new Pentagon access policy for journalists, warning of the potential for less comprehensive coverage of the world's most powerful military"