Pentagon bars photographers from Hegseth briefings amid media access fight
Mar 11th 2026
Photographers were excluded from Hegseth’s recent briefings on the Iran war even as video coverage continues, part of a broader dispute over Pentagon media access and reporting on a deadly school bombing in Iran.
- Pentagon did not allow photographers at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s last two briefings and declined to explain the change.
- Video cameras remain permitted at the briefings while still images are being blocked.
- Many mainstream outlets left Pentagon desks after new administration rules restricted reporter movements and contacts.
- A new press corps that accepted the rules has largely replaced legacy reporters on site, though some legacy reporters receive passes to attend briefings.
- The New York Times has sued to overturn the Pentagon rules and reported a preliminary finding that a U.S. Tomahawk strike likely caused a deadly bombing at a girls’ school in Iran, a claim the White House criticized.