Pentagon bars press photographers over ‘unflattering’ Hegseth photos

The Defense Department has barred press photographers from briefings on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran after they published photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that his staff deemed “unflattering,” according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

The March 2 briefing came days after a joint military strike on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28. It was also the first time the defense secretary had appeared at the briefing room podium since June 26.

Several outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images sent photographers to the briefing from Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But after they published photos — which have broad reach because they are licensed by publications globally — members of Hegseth’s staff told colleagues that they did not like the way that the secretary looked. Hegseth’s aides decided to shut out photographers from the two subsequent briefings at the Pentagon, on March 4 and March 10, according to the two people familiar with the decision.

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. Photographs from the briefings are immediately released online for the public and press to use. If that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, then they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential.”

White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly declined to comment on Hegseth’s decision to shut out reporters.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has repeatedly sparred with the press since being confirmed at the outset of President Donald Trump’s second term. Tensions hit a fever pitch in October when hundreds of credentialed Pentagon reporters turned in their credentials and dozens walked out of the building after refusing to sign a policy prohibiting journalists from soliciting any information the government did not authorize.

The New York Times and one of its reporters, Julian E. Barnes, have sued the government alleging that the policy violated their constitutional protections of press freedom and due process. That case is ongoing, and a federal judge in Washington is weighing motions for summary judgment following Friday’s oral arguments.

After the mass exodus of reporters, which included The Post, a new, largely right-wing press corps signed on. They later received a December meet-and-greet with Hegseth and a press briefing with Wilson. But until last week, Hegseth had still not done an on-camera briefing for the new crop of media.

That changed after the strikes in Iran. Hegseth and Caine’s March 2 press briefing was initially meant to involve only newly credentialed media, but after the department requested a TV camera from the major broadcast networks, the journalists who had relinquished their badges negotiated an agreement to allow some of them in the briefing room, a lawyer for the Pentagon Press Association said in court Friday.

It is unclear whether one particular photo — or the sum total of the day’s shots — led to consternation among Hegseth’s staff. When photographers showed up for last Wednesday’s briefing they were not allowed in, according to two other people familiar with the situation who also spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

Since then, only the Defense Department’s staff photographers have been permitted into the briefings.