[One America News Network will replace NBC News, and Breitbart will take over the space currently occupied by National Public Radio (NPR) in the coveted Pentagon press corps workspace, as part of a new “annual media rotation program” announced to journalists on Friday night. The New York Post will also move into the current space of The New York Times, while Politico will be replaced by HuffPost.
The changes are set to take effect on February 14 and elevate relatively small, pro-Trump media outlets, while sidelining more popular and mainstream news organizations. HuffPost, a progressive outlet, will be replacing Politico, despite not having a Pentagon correspondent.
The Pentagon Press Association received an internal memo stating that the changes aim 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 in the Pentagon.”
The four affected outlets were informed of the changes just two weeks ago, with the rotation program’s goal of welcoming new media outlets into the Defense Department’s inner circle.
The National Press Club, an advocate for press freedom, expressed concern over the decision, calling for greater clarity on the reasoning behind it and its potential impact on transparency and press freedom.
Members of the Pentagon press corps are left wondering why The New York Times, NBC, NPR, and Politico were told to vacate their office spaces, and whether the decisions are related to their rigorous coverage of new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Ullyot, clarified that the replaced outlets will remain as full members of the Pentagon Press Corps, with continued access to briefings and the ability to cover events, but will need to relinquish their physical workspaces.
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