The US Defence Department has restricted access for journalists as it redesignated its press office as a ‘classified facility’. The move marks another step in a series of restrictions that have altered how journalists operate inside the Pentagon.
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the change, stating it was due to operational requirements rather than an attempt to restrict media activity.
The decision comes amid ongoing friction between the media and the US government over press access and reporting conditions.
Journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space, which was redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters handling classified material.
