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A week after most Pentagon journalists Submit your media credentials And walked out the door instead of signing Pete Hegseth’s restrictive press pledgeThe Department of Defense announced it was launching a “next generation” press corps that has adopted the policy.
While all broadcast networks – Including Hegseth’s former employer Fox News – As with major news publications, there will no longer be any reporters in the halls of the Pentagon. the new York Times And Washington PostDOD spokesman Sean Parnell announced that they would be replaced by “a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists.”
However, despite Parnell’s claim, the actual list of organizations and “independent journalists” that make up the “new media” Pentagon press corps largely consists of MAGA-friendly outlets, far-right commentators, and conservative YouTubers specializing in over-the-top pro-Trump content.
While Parnell and the Pentagon press office did not publicly disclose the names of the publications and journalists who agreed to the press restrictions, they Prevent journalists from seeking unclassified information Without prior permission from the Department of Defense employees, several right-wing outlets quickly revealed that they were on board with the pledge.
This included Lindell TV, Trumpist propaganda streaming service established by Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow, who denied the election. and right-wing websites Gateway Pandit, human events, The Post Millennial, just newsAnd national pulse,
“Excited to announce that @HumanEvents and @TPostMillennial have joined the Pentagon Press Corps.” Tweeted Human Events host Jack Posobiec is a staunch Trump loyalist who first gained notoriety for promoting the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.
“We are excited to announce the more than 60 journalists representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists who have signed the Pentagon’s media access policy and will join the new Pentagon Press Corps,” Parnell said in his announcement.
Additionally, Parnell claimed that 26 journalists from 18 outlets were among the former Pentagon press corps who chose to sign the DOW media access policy. Initially, it was estimated that only 15 journalists – including people from pro-Trump outlets One America News, The Federalist and The Epoch Times -Agreed with the policy.
multiple original signers They are freelancers who come from foreign press outlets or work for small independent sites, some of which produce content almost exclusively for social media. Furthermore, after the original group of outlets and journalists agreeing to the policy was made public, australian — an Australia-based newspaper owned by Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch — reversed course and said the press restrictions “raise serious concerns and impose unreasonable limits on press freedom.”
In fact, the only outlet that signed on to the policy and regularly has reporters at the Pentagon is One America News, whose president said the network’s staff signed off on the agreement after a “thorough review.”
In addition to Fox News, several other conservative news organizations, including Newsmax, have refused to agree to the media restrictions. Washington TimesThe Daily Caller and the Washington Examiner,
Asked for comment about the composition of the “next generation” Pentagon press corps, DOD spokesman Joel Valdez said “we don’t have anything additional to provide” but urged Independent Monitoring the department’s social media accounts for “further updates”.
Indeed, both the Pentagon’s rapid response team and DOD Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson retweeted several prominent conservative journalists, right-wing influencers, and media outlets publicly announcing that they had signed the Pentagon Press Pledge.
“LindaleTV is proud to announce our official inclusion into the newly formed Pentagon Press Corps under the War Department’s updated media access policy,” The announcement from Lindell’s network said“We join a coalition of more than 60 new media outlets and independent journalists committed to transparency, truth and accountability. As legacy media continues to lose the trust of the American people, LindellTV stands at the forefront of a growing movement reshaping the way news is delivered – direct, unfiltered and free from corporate control.”
Most of Parnell’s declarations were repeated in LindellTV’s official statement, with Hegseth’s assistant claiming that “new media” have created “the formula for bypassing the lies of the mainstream media and getting real news straight to the American people.” He said the public “has largely given up on digesting their news through activists disguised as journalists in the mainstream media.”
According to the draft of Parnell’s declaration reviewed by Washington Post Before his Wednesday afternoon tweet, a list of organizations that approved the press policy had to be publicly disclosed.
,[T]The coalition of signatories includes streaming service Lindell TV (started by MyPillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell), website Gateway Pundit, Post Millennial, Human Events, and National Pulse. Post Informed. “This includes Turning Point USA’s media brand Frontlines, as well as influential Tim Pool’s Timcast and a Substack-based newsletter called Washington Reporter. The memo said ‘several independent journalists’ also signed on, but did not specify who they were.”
Pool, a right-wing podcaster who was chided for working for a Kremlin-funded outlet last year, defended Timecast’s decision to sign the Pentagon pledge. “Our access is mostly for general inquiries and interviews,” Poole Tweeted“If for some reason we come across a story that could put us in conflict with Pentagon press policy, we will always prioritize the public’s right to know and transparency. However, given that we are not investigative journalists, we do not expect to find ourselves in these circumstances.”
Matthew Foldy, a former GOP political candidate who now runs the Substack-based Washington Reporter, wrote a blistering editorial about the Pentagon “common sense” media guidelines noting that he was “Honored to make history” With Hegseth and Dept.
“After all, we are comfortable signing on to these policies because who is opposing it,” Foldy wrote.