WASHINGTON, United States: The US Defense Department has designated its press office a classified space, the Pentagon said Monday, making it off-limits to journalists who used to be able to enter the area.
“The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” because speechwriters who “routinely handle classified material” work in the area, Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said in a statement.
“As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space,” he added.
The Pentagon began enacting new restrictions on journalists soon after President Donald Trump returned to office last year.
Eight media organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NBC and NPR were forced to vacate their dedicated office spaces in the Pentagon, which said there was a need to create room for other — predominantly conservative — outlets.
