Pentagon designates press office as classified space and bars journalists from entering

Why did the Pentagon say it changed the press office’s status?

Acting press secretary Joel Valdez said the office was redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility because speechwriters from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office share the space and routinely handle classified material, including through classified systems access Guardian,Independent,CBC News.

What changes for reporters in practical terms?

Reporters can no longer enter the press office area, a place where they had long been able to approach public affairs officials and ask questions directly; access to those officials is now more limited and, according to some reports, appointment-based Washington Post,Hill,En Son Haber.

What is still unresolved?

A broader fight over Pentagon press access is continuing. The New York Times sued the Defense Department over the earlier escort policy, and reporting indicates litigation over the department’s press rules is still ongoing NYT,Washington Post,POLITICO.