According to the interlocutors, this decision was made at the Pentagon after a briefing on March 2. It was also attended by the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Cain. Several international agencies sent photographers to the event, including the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images.
After the photos were published, Hegseth's staff said they didn't like how the minister looked in the photos. As a result, photographers were not allowed to attend the next two briefings at the Pentagon – on March 4th and 10th.
The Pentagon explained the decision by the need to more efficiently use the space in the briefing room. They noted that photographs of events are immediately published online for the press and public.
At the same time, the National Press Photographers Association criticized this decision. The organization said the exclusion of photographers due to dissatisfaction with images of officials raised concerns about press freedom.
The conflict between Hegseth and the press escalated in the fall of 2025, when the US Department of Defense issued an ultimatum to journalists: sign new accreditation rules or surrender their press cards. The new requirements imposed strict restrictions on media workers: they could not receive or use any information that the Pentagon did not approve, even if it was unclassified; movement throughout the building was limited to only a few corridors instead of free access; journalists were required to wear additional bright red badges on top of their regular press cards; and those who published news without ministry approval could be considered a “threat to national security” and could lose their accreditation.
More than 35 leading publications, from ABC and The New York Times to conservative Newsmax and The Daily Caller, refused to agree to the terms. The only media outlet to sign the rules was the far-right One America News Network (OANN). This led to mass press card surrenders and the virtual restriction of journalists' access to Pentagon briefings, with many observers calling the minister's actions a direct attack on the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
