Trending Now - Pentagon Restricts Photo Access at Hegseth's Iran War Briefings
WHO:
Anna Kelly, White House principal deputy press secretary
Kingsley Wilson, Pentagon press secretary
Alex Garcia, NPPA president
Mark Schoeff Jr., National Press Club president
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
President Trump, President of the United States
Joel Valdez, Pentagon spokesman
Eric Schmitt, reporter for The New York Times
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
Charles Stadtlander, spokesman for The New York Times
WHAT:
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) condemned the Pentagon's decision to exclude press photographers from briefings, stating it raises serious First Amendment concerns.
The NPPA urged news organizations to refuse to publish government-issued photographs for events where news photographers were shut out for content-based reasons.
A hearing regarding The New York Times' lawsuit against the Trump administration took place before U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman on March 6th, 2026.
The Pentagon has barred photographers from covering Hegseth's last two briefings on the war in Iran.
The New York Times has sued the Trump administration to overturn Hegseth's rules regarding media access.
An estimated 175 people were killed in a bombing of a girls' school in Iran, including many school children.
The preliminary finding of the administration concluded that the United States was responsible for the bombing.
WHERE:
Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Iran, location of the bombing incident
NATO headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
WHEN:
March 2nd, 2026, date when photographers were barred from briefings
March 10th, 2026, date of Hegseth's Pentagon press conference
January 30th, 2025, date of Hegseth's press conference about a helicopter collision
February 13th, 2025, date of Hegseth's closing press conference at NATO
WHY:
Kelly criticized The Washington Post for not including her comments in their report, stating, “Fake news 'reporter' @ScottNover said we declined to comment for this story. Not true!”
The Pentagon has not explained the change in longstanding policy regarding media access.
The Trump administration's rules restrict movements and interactions of mainstream news organizations.
HOW:
The Pentagon is allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding pool, to use space in the Pentagon Briefing Room effectively.
The Pentagon has given passes to reporters who vacated their desks to attend Hegseth's briefings.
Hegseth has allowed video cameras at his briefings despite blocking photographers.
(UPDATED March 12, 2026 11:09 UTC)
The National Press Photographers Association has condemned the Pentagon's recent decision to exclude press photographers from briefings, raising serious First Amendment concerns and urging news organizations to avoid publishing government-issued photographs from events where photographers were shut out. In related news, a hearing regarding The New York Times' lawsuit against Trump took place on March 6 before U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman. Meanwhile, White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly criticized The Washington Post for omitting her comments in their report, asserting that claims she declined to comment were false.
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(UPDATED March 12, 2026 07:17 UTC)
In a significant development, the Pentagon has barred photographers from covering Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's last two briefings on the war in Iran, prompting The New York Times to sue the Trump administration to overturn these new media access rules. Tragically, an estimated 175 people, including many school children, were killed in a bombing of a girls' school in Iran, with preliminary findings indicating that the United States was responsible for the attack. Despite the restrictions on photographers, Hegseth has allowed video cameras at his briefings, although the Pentagon has not explained the change in their longstanding policy regarding media access.