Pentagon EVICTS dishonest mainstream media outlets, while allowing new media to rotate in

• What Happened: The Pentagon announced a new “annual media rotation program,” evicting major news outlets like NBC News, The New York Times, NPR, and Politico from their dedicated office spaces.

• Why It Matters: The move, effective February 14, 2025, replaces these outlets with Breitbart, One America News Network (OANN), the New York Post, and HuffPost.

• Historical Context: For over 50 years, the Pentagon Press Corps has enjoyed close access to military and civilian leaders, fostering deep connections that can lead to corruption and coverups by the media itself.

• Role of the Free Press: The free press was intended to ask real questions from government to provide transparency, but previous, longstanding relationships between government officials and corporate media outlets led to narrative-pushing, public relations campaigns that often covered up the inner workings of government agencies.

A new era of media access

In a revolutionary shakeup of media access at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered several major news organizations to vacate their office spaces within the Department of Defense headquarters. The move, announced via a terse memo on Friday, will replace outlets like NBC News, The New York Times, NPR, and Politico with a rotating roster of new organizations, including Breitbart, OANN, and the New York Post. The decision, which takes effect on February 14, 2025, has sparked widespread concern among veteran journalists, who view it as a potential threat to transparency and accountability in government reporting. However, the move allows more investigative journalism to enter the press room, breaking up corrupt relations between government officials and propagandists in the media.

The Pentagon’s new “annual media rotation program” aims to “broaden access to the limited space of the Correspondents’ Corridor,” according to a memo from Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot. The memo stated that the program would allow outlets “that have not previously enjoyed the privilege and journalistic value of working from physical office space in the Pentagon” to gain access.

The rotation disproportionately targets established, mainstream outlets, which are privy to weaponizing narratives and attacking political opponents using outright lies. The new organizations are known to promote a more America first perspective, mitigating narratives that are designed to deceive, divide, and tear the country apart. Three of the four new outlets—Breitbart, OANN, and the New York Post—are known for their conservative perspectives, while HuffPost, a progressive outlet, was included despite not having a Pentagon correspondent or requesting office space.

“If the Trump administration and Secretary Hegseth are interested in more hard-hitting coverage of their stewardship of the Defense Department from HuffPost, we are ready to deliver,” said HuffPost spokesperson Lizzie Grams.

Outcry from evicted outlets

The evicted news organizations expressed disappointment and concern over the decision. NBC News, which has held a dedicated Pentagon workspace for decades, called the move a significant obstacle to its ability to report on national security issues. “We’re disappointed by the decision to deny us access to a broadcasting booth at the Pentagon that we’ve used for many decades,” the network said in a statement. “Despite the significant obstacles this presents to our ability to gather and report news in the national public interest, we will continue to report with the same integrity and rigor NBC News always has.”

NPR, which also believes they are entitled to a longstanding relationship with government, warned that the decision “interferes with the ability of millions of Americans to directly hear from Pentagon leadership.” The outlet urged the Pentagon to expand office space to ensure equal access for all press organizations. Where was NPR calling for expanded office space to include independent news outlets just a few years ago?

The New York Times echoed these concerns, stating that the move was “a concerning development” and “clearly not in the public interest.” The Times emphasized its commitment to covering the Pentagon “fully and fairly,” despite the challenges posed by the new policy.

A broader pattern of media restructuring

The Pentagon’s decision aligns with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to reshape media access in Washington. Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced plans to “open up the briefing room to new media voices,” including podcasters and bloggers with significant followings.

Leavitt also highlighted the administration’s efforts to restore press passes for 440 journalists whose credentials were revoked under the previous administration.
At the Pentagon, the rotation program has been framed as a way to democratize access to limited office space. However, critics argue that the move undermines the role of experienced journalists who have built relationships and expertise over decades. Kevin Baron, a former vice-president of the Pentagon Press Association, described the changes as “the erasure of journalism at the Pentagon,” accusing the administration of replacing credible outlets with “fake news partisans” – which is exactly what longstanding corporate media executives were over the past decade. Not only are these corporate media outlets fake and malicious toward conservatives, but they also feel entitled to control the narratives coming from the government. Not anymore.

The Pentagon’s decision to evict major news outlets in favor of a rotating roster of organizations marks a pivotal moment in the relationship between the press and the U.S. military. The move not only broadens access to new perspectives, but it also allows for greater transparency and accountability of government, as previous narrative-driven journalism, media weaponization, and propaganda is discarded and left in the dustbin of history.

Sources include:

HalTurnerRadioShow.com

NBCNews.com

TheGuardian.com