On October 15, American journalists covering the activities of the U.S. Department of Defense left the Pentagon after being stripped of their accreditation for refusing to agree to new access rules. This occurred following their refusal to comply with the new guidelines regarding news gathering.
The new requirements prohibit journalists from requesting information that the government has not authorized, forcing reporters from The Washington Post and other media outlets to leave the building.
The Department of Defense cited security concerns in justifying the new rules. The Pentagon spokesman emphasized that these guidelines are designed to protect confidential information and national security.
Despite some changes made after negotiations with the Pentagon Press Association, journalists remained concerned.
The Association stated that most journalists did not agree to the new policy due to the risks of criminalizing reporting.
Former journalist Ostap Yarysh noted that the new rules affected many prominent media outlets covering events at the Pentagon, with One America News being the only outlet to publicly accept the new terms.
Importantly, the new rules prohibit journalists from obtaining any information from their sources without official approval from the department, restrict movement within the building, and require wearing special badges.

In September, the Pentagon announced that journalists must agree to new terms of coverage.
These changes raised concerns among media lawyers, who pointed out ambiguities in the new requirements.
Earlier, the Pentagon Press Association accused the Department of Defense of attempting to suppress the free press with the new accreditation policy.