US creates task force to prosecute leaks to news media, Hegseth says
The Justice Department and Pentagon have established a joint task force focused on identifying and prosecuting government leaks to news organizations, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move marks a formal, coordinated escalation of the federal government's effort to pursue unauthorized disclosures to journalists.
Why this matters: A joint DOJ-Pentagon task force aimed at press leaks is not a routine security measure. It is a structural tool for hunting sources. Journalists rely on insiders to report on what governments do in secret. When those insiders face coordinated federal prosecution, fewer of them talk. That means less accountability, not more security. The public does not learn about waste, abuse, or policy failures because the people who witnessed them stayed quiet. The risk here is not to reporters. It is to your ability to know what is being done in your name.
Who should care: Cybersecurity · Privacy officers · Administrators
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