Barbara Starr, a former CNN reporter who has spent years as a Pentagon correspondent, expressed her criticism towards Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding a new policy that limits journalists’ access to Pentagon buildings. She believes this move might provoke more aggressive reporting on the Trump administration’s defense policies.
“Pete Hegseth seems to think he can control the narrative by revoking access passes from journalists who don’t comply with his new regulations,” Starr noted. She shared her thoughts in a Substack post and added, “This isn’t going to work—journalists and their organizations are more resilient than he realizes. It’s important he recognizes that.”
Major news outlets, including the New York Times and Newsmax, have expressed their refusal to agree to the new policy, which imposes severe restrictions on access to the Pentagon, with a deadline looming on Tuesday.
The Pentagon Press Association, where Starr held a leadership role for many years while covering defense matters at CNN, condemned the policy last week. They accused Hegseth and Pentagon officials of issuing a “historically unprecedented message of intimidation” toward the media.
Starr remarked, “What Hegseth doesn’t grasp is that the First Amendment prevents the Pentagon from stopping reporters from doing their jobs—especially when it comes to reporting non-classified information.”
Having covered the Department of Defense from 1989 until her retirement in 2022, Starr expressed her belief that if the Pentagon sticks to Hegseth’s plan, ongoing news coverage will not falter. “Reporters will continue to connect with Congress, other agencies, the White House, and even foreign nations,” she wrote on Substack.
She further emphasized, “They will still interact with military officials, risking their lives in combat zones and sacrificing valuable family time to report the news.”
