🛡️Pentagon Slashes On-Site Press Access, Requires 72-Hour Pre-Clearance
Press Freedom
Defense
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s May 24 memo bars “roaming” in the Pentagon and shrinks press-pool seats by 60 percent, citing security; reporters call it the biggest access cut since 9/11.
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Key Takeaways
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Why This Matters
Your Transparency:
Limits real-time questioning of defense officials overseeing two active combat theaters.
Your Democracy:
Chills investigative reporting on procurement scandals.
Your History:
Reprises Nixon-era press cordons that courts later struck down.
Your Accountability:
Raises alarms at Poynter and WHCA over First-Amendment rights in government facilities.
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Detailed Content
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Which Defense Secretary famously expanded press access during the 1991 Gulf War?
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History
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Morning Consult found trust in Pentagon transparency fell to what percentage after the clampdown?
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Public Opinion
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Which NATO ally allows accredited reporters 24/7 badge access to its defense HQ as of 2025?
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Comparative
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Which watchdog filed a FOIA request for internal emails drafting the access memo?
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Ethics
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