Press photographers are no longer permitted to take photos inside the Pentagon press briefing room after several outlets published “unflattering” photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, two people familiar with the situation told the Washington Post.
On March 2, Hegseth held a press conference with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to brief the press on the U.S. and Israel military strikes on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February.
Shortly after, wire service photographers – such as those from the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images – published photos of the defense secretary speaking with the media. This is typical for nearly all press conferences held by a government official.
But afterward, members of Hegseth’s staff reportedly told colleagues they did not like the way the defense secretary looked. In press briefings on March 4 and March 10, photographers were not permitted inside.
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilsonsaid in a statement that in order to use the briefing room “effectively,” only one representative per uncredentialed news outlet was permitted inside.
“Photographs from the briefings are immediately released online for the public and press to use. If that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, then they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential,” Wilson wrote.
Last year, the Pentagon implemented a new rule for media that required credentialed outlets to agree to a new policy that states reporters cannot gather or publish information from the Defense Department that is not explicitly authorized.
That includes declassified information or off-the-record conversations, no matter where the information was obtained.
Many mainstream media outlets refused to sign the agreement, finding the new rules oppressive. As a result, major broadcasters such as Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News; legacy newspapers such as the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal; and other outlets lost their Pentagon press credentials.
But the Pentagon made exceptions for the March 2 press conference, requesting major broadcast TV cameras and allowing some reporters in the briefing room.
During the press briefing, Hegseth appeared animated before reporters, fiercely pushing back against criticisms of the attacks and accusing mainstream media of reporting false narratives.
“To the media outlets and political left screaming ‘endless wars,’ stop. This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said during the presser. “Our generation knows better and so does this president.”
The defense secretary called out NBC for asking a “gotcha-type question” when pressed about the timeline of the ongoing war, he later criticized another reporter’s question about whether the U.S. planned to put boots on the ground.
“Why in the world would we tell you, you, the enemy, anybody, what we will or will not do in pursuit of an objective?” Hegseth responded to a reporter’s question.
Later during that same press conference, the defense secretary bluntly responded to another reporter’s inquiry about preventing this conflict from spiraling with: “Did you not hear my remarks?”
Since being tapped as President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, Hegseth has consistently sparred with reporters.
When press photographers attempted to enter the press briefing room for the March 4 press conference, they were not allowed in, those familiar with the situation told the Washington Post.
However, the Defense Department’s staff photographers are permitted in the briefing rooms and do publish photos for public use.
