The Pentagon press corps, once a prestigious assignment for top journalists from major outlets, has been taken over by rightwing activists and Trump allies after traditional media organisations walked out over new restrictions. A press conference last week saw more than a dozen rightwing figures in attendance, including a confidante of Donald Trump and an employee of Turning Point USA.
Credentialed reporters from mainstream news organisations surrendered their Pentagon press passes in October rather than sign a 21-page document that imposed strict limits on journalistic activities. The rules required news organisations to pledge not to obtain unauthorised material and agreed to restrictions on entering certain parts of the Pentagon.
Following the walkout, the Pentagon issued passes to figures such as Laura Loomer, who has described herself as a 'proud Islamophobe', and outlets including LindellTV, founded by conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, and One America News Network host Matt Gaetz, a disgraced former congressman. Other conservative organisations like the Daily Signal and the Gateway Pundit also signed the agreement.
The lack of serious media scrutiny comes at a time when the Pentagon is beset by controversy. An independent report found Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth created an operational security risk by using the Signal chat app to discuss Yemen operations, with a journalist accidentally included. Calls for his resignation have followed, alongside questions about a double strike on a drug boat in the Caribbean.
'It's incredibly problematic,' said Carole-Anne Morris, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 'Essentially, these folks will only be able to parrot information they're spoon-fed by some media liaison in the Pentagon.' Gregg Leslie of Arizona State University's First Amendment Clinic added: 'Anything that restricts what you can say, what you can do ... is just unacceptable.'
