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Major press organizations are expressing concern after the Defense Department announced changes that mean that NBC News, The New York Times, Politico and National Public Radio will no longer have dedicated workspaces at the Pentagon.
Instead, according to a memo sent to news organizations, there will be a media rotation program, with new outlets taking the spot of a legacy TV, print, radio and online news site. Those getting space include outlets with a long history of favorable coverage of Donald Trump — One America News Network and Breitbart News Network, as well as the New York Post, which leans right. The other outlet, HuffPost, leans left.
John Ullyot, a Pentagon spokesperson, wrote in a letter to news outlets that the changes are part of an effort to “broaden access to the limited space” of the Correspondents’ Corridor to outlets “that have not previously enjoyed the privilege and journalistic value of working from physical office space” at the Defense Department. He said that the rotations would occur annually, and the outlets that vacate “the spaces loaned to them by the Secretary” will continue to have the same access to the Pentagon to cover briefings and to be considered for travel with civilian and military leaders.
The Pentagon Press Association said that it recognized the expansion of the press corps but they were “deeply troubled by this unprecedented move by DOD to single out highly professional media who have covered the Pentagon for decades, under both Republican and Democratic administrations.”
Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club, said, “The National Press Club is deeply concerned by the Defense Department’s decision to remove certain media organizations from their dedicated spaces in the Pentagon. Any action that restricts the ability of journalists to report on the operations of the U.S. government should alarm all who value transparency and press freedom.”
The changes were announced just a week after the Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host, as the new secretary of defense. The media outlets who have been told to vacate their workspaces all reported on his rocky confirmation process, with reports of his heavy drinking and an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a 2017 incident. Hegseth has denied the allegations. He was confirmed in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie.
NBC News said in a statement, “We’re disappointed by the decision to deny us access to a broadcasting booth at the Pentagon that we’ve used for many decades. 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.”
An NPR spokesperson said, “This decision interferes with the ability of millions of Americans to directly hear from Pentagon leadership, and with NPR’s public interest mission to serve Americans who turn to our network of local public media stations in all 50 states. NPR will continue to report with vigor and integrity on the transformation this Administration has promised to deliver. NPR urges the Pentagon to expand the offices available to press within the building so that all outlets covering the Pentagon receive equal access.”
Other outlets did not immediately return requests for comment.
