In September, the Defense Department sent reporters a memo saying that they’d be required to sign a document acknowledging they would not disclose either classified or controlled unclassified information that is not formally authorized for publication. It warned Pentagon reporters they could lose their press credentials for “unauthorized access, attempted unauthorized access, or unauthorized disclosure” of classified information or anything designated as “controlled unclassified information.”
Compliance with the directive would mean that journalists would not be able to use unnamed U.S. military sources in much of their reporting without risking loss of access to the Pentagon.
Many media outlets balked at the directive and vowed to push back. The New York Times said in a statement the restrictions were “at stark odds with the constitutional protections of a free press in a democracy.”
There’s even arguments out there that they don’t need that access. The White House/Pentagon can put out whatever they want, and it’s just part of the larger box of open source intelligence. IIRC, Bob Woodward (of Watergate investigation fame) didn’t bother with trying to get access to specific higher ups at all. Mark Felt (Deepthroat) came to him, and the rest is all out in the open if you’re willing to dig.