It was also the first time the defense secretary had appeared from the briefing room podium since June 26. In a statement, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson wrote: “In order to use space in the Pentagon Briefing Room effectively, we are allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding pool. They later received a December meet-and-greet with Hegseth and a press briefing with Wilson. It is unclear whether one particular photo — or the sum total of the day’s shots — led to consternation among Hegseth’s staff. Ask The Post AIDive deeperThe National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), which advocates for photographers’ rights, condemned the Defense Department’s decision in a statement after this article was published, and called upon the Pentagon to restore access to banned photographers.

Source: Washington Post March 12, 2026 08:56 UTC