Logan Church, a TVNZ journalist, was escorted out of the Pentagon and denied access to cover a meeting after his media accreditation was withdrawn at the last minute, just days after the latest restrictions on news outlets came into force. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned about the increasingly stifling climate for journalists in the United States and the new Pentagon policy, which could severely undermine press freedom.

Reporters carry their belongings from the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on October 15, 2025 after US and international news outlets declined to sign new restrictive Pentagon media rules, and were stripped of their press access credentials. Credit: Brendan Smialowki/AFP

On 21 October, 1News reportedthat their US correspondent, Logan Church, had been prohibited from covering a meeting at the Pentagon between New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins and US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.

Despite having received confirmation from both the Pentagon and the New Zealand Embassy that he could attend the meeting, the journalist had his media accreditation revoked moments before the event.

This comes after the Pentagon approved new restrictions on journalists and news outlets on 15 October. These restrictions led to several news professionals covering the US Defense Department leavingthe building in Washington and turning in their press credentials.

The Department of Defense had set a 14 October deadlinefor news organisations to comply with the latest news reporting measures. Anyone who did not sign the new directives was required to return their Pentagon press badge and vacate their workspaces in the building within 24 hours.

This is how dozens of journalists and reporters joined together in a significant protest movement. On 15 October, approximately 40 members of the Pentagon press corps walked out of the building together before the deadline, expressing their dissent.

The new policy requires prior approvalof all information to be disclosed. There is also an express prohibition on journalists collecting and soliciting communications from employees and officials independently and without authorisation from Defense structures.

All newspapers were asked to sign a document declaring that they accepted the new guidelines introduced by Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Department of Defense, which the Trump administration has renamed the Department of War.

However, more than 30 news outlets decided not to cooperate. Among them, The Washington Post, Reuters, The Associated Press, CNN, The Guardian, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and more. These newspapers also stated that these new measures would violate the US Constitution, which is concerned with ensuring adequate protection of freedom of speech and press freedom under the First Amendment.

"The new measures reduce the protections offered by the First Amendment, imposing unjustified obstacles to the free flow of information," said Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post.

What is surprising is that even the most conservative media, typically favoured by the Trump administration, such as Fox News and Newsmax, have refused to comply with the new rules.

Fox News senior strategic analyst and retired General Jack Keane said that Hegseth and his aides "want to spoon-feed information to the journalists, and that would be their story. That's not journalism."

Hegseth called the requirements "common sense", claiming that the Department is implementing them to make sure national security is respected.

According to The Washington Post, only 15 journalists, out of more than a hundred from 57 news outlets who cover the Pentagon, have accepted the new measures.

These latest developments mark a troubling escalation in ongoing efforts to curtail press freedom in the United States, raising concerns about transparency, accountability and the right of the public to be informed.

"Press freedom is a cornerstone of democracy, not a privilege granted by those in power. Journalists like Logan Church must be free to report independently, without fear, censorship or government control. What happened at the Pentagon is not just an act of protest, but an important gesture of unity, with journalists standing together against press freedom violations and defending the public's right to be informed," said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.