Military Escort

Muzzled Monday

May I escort you to the Pentagon?

The press has been fighting for access since Trump took office again in January 2025. You may remember that hundreds of journalists turned in their press credentials in the fall instead of agreeing to a policy that would bar them from doing their job.

In December 2025, The New York Times sued, arguing that changes in policy violated the First Amendment. In March, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman ruled in favor of The Times. The Pentagon appealed.

The restriction to media access accelerated in May when the Defense Department announced that the Pentagon press office would no longer be accessible to reporters and their desks would be moved off-site. The reason given was that speech writers needed the space to view classified materials. Since journalists no longer had offices in the Pentagon, they would now be required to request an escort to enter the building. The New York Times challenged the new policy on the grounds that it was retaliatory and that it ran afoul of press freedoms.

In June, Judge Friedman temporarily blocked the escort policy, saying it shouldn’t stand while the case was in litigation.

On July 16, a federal appeals court reversed that order, allowing the Pentagon to temporarily require escorts for all journalists who enter the building.

In its ruling, two of three judges on a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrote that the Pentagon’s escort requirement was “neutrally and evenhandedly applied” and lacked any “demonstrated distinctive harmful impact” on The Times. The third judge said he would have allowed the pause on the policy to stay in place.

The Pentagon argued that without escorts, reporters could “maintain a persistent physical presence near sensitive spaces within the Pentagon” and that the requirement did not hamper journalists’ news-gathering activities.

The Times countered that allowing journalists to circulate in the Pentagon unescorted is not a risk to national security and that their ability to roam the corridors is essential to their mission.

According to Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, “Reporters do not have a First Amendment right to freely roam the halls of the Pentagon.”

So - what is the role of an escort? Point out the location of bathrooms and emergency exits to reporters who have freely roamed the halls for decades? Does this person stay with the journalist while they approach potential sources of information? Do they tell them who they can and cannot talk to? It appears that access to actual information is being restricted. Maybe the better description is “handler” and not escort.

At a time when the United States is engaged in a multi-billion dollar war in Iran, it is in the public's interest to know the details and reasoning behind the military attacks. The foundational basis of the fourth estate is the idea that reporters ask questions on behalf of the public. This is becoming more difficult for journalists every day. What is the Secretary of Defense afraid of? What is the Department of Defense hiding?

When Secretary Hegseth appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 22 he dodged every question. If Congress cannot get answers, journalists are the only avenue left.

May I escort you to the Pentagon? No, thank you.

Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post

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