Pentagon reporters have now turned in their badges – but plan to keep reporting

Reporters who declined to sign new set of Pentagon rules had to clear out of world’s largest military headquarters

Pentagon reporters who declined to sign a new set of policies that press advocates and news organizations denounced as incompatible with the tenets of journalism were set to return their press badges by 5pm on Wednesday, ending decades of history of robust in-house coverage at the world’s largest military headquarters.

In the hours leading up to the deadline, journalists worked furiously to pack up their workspaces in two media rooms, with hallways filled to the brim with boxes and books and other souvenirs of decades of daily coverage.

One veteran Pentagon correspondent – who was not authorized to comment on the record – spoke to the Guardian as they headed to the complex to collect their belongings. They said they normally take the subway to work but drove today “because we have so much crap that we need to take back”.

Those who raced to pack up their belongings also began thinking about how they would now cover the Pentagon without the direct access that many have relied upon for years.