The Defense Department announced on Wednesday that a “new generation” of journalists would be given access to the Pentagon after they signed rules on access to the building that were rejected by most major news organizations.
The announcement, posted on X by Sean Parnell, the chief Defense Department spokesman, did not name the journalists or outlets. But numerous right wing, pro-Trump online outlets said they were among those that had agreed to the rules, including The Gateway Pundit; Human Events; LindellTV; Frontlines, an arm of Turning Point USA; and the The National Pulse.
Last week, the Pentagon began restricting access to the sprawling building, allowing in only journalists who signed a 21-page document governing everything from soliciting tips to parking to photography. Dozens of journalists from national outlets — including the major TV news networks, wire services, and The New York Times and other newspapers — declined to sign the policy, citing concerns that it curbed their First Amendment rights, and handed in their press passes.
Reporters from those outlets have continued aggressive coverage of the United States military, including strikes on vessels off South America that the Trump administration accuses of carrying drugs bound for the United States.
Mr. Parnell, in his X post, celebrated the people who signed the rules, and said they were part of a changing media landscape. The group, he said, represents “a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists.”
“New media outlets and independent journalists have created the formula to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media and get real news directly to the American people,” he added. “Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.”
The announcement was unusual. Sabrina Singh, a Defense Department spokeswoman during the Biden administration, said, “Press secretaries or spokespeople do not typically announce new members of a press corps.”
Mr. Parnell wrote in his post that the new press corps at the Pentagon consisted of more than 60 journalists, 26 of whom were holdovers who had signed on to the latest policy, including One America News Network and The Epoch Times. That means that more than half of the members of the new press corps are freshly credentialed to cover the building.
Among them are employees of LindellTV, an online streaming site operated by Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow and an outspoken supporter of President Trump. Mr. Lindell helped to fund efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
In a statement on X, the LindellTV account wrote that the company “was built to stand against the lies and censorship of the mainstream media and now we’re taking that mission all the way to the Pentagon. We are officially part of the new Pentagon press corps, this is a major win for free speech and real journalism.”
Since an early draft of the Pentagon restrictions circulated in September, legacy outlets with Pentagon credentials expressed concerns that they would curtail reporting activities. Of particular concern was a passage in the policy concerning solicitation of tips about military matters. First Amendment protections, says the final draft of the policy, do not allow journalists to “solicit government employees to violate the law by providing confidential government information.” That provision, many media lawyers argue, could punish routine reportorial inquiries.
Tim Pool, a right-wing podcaster, wrote on X last week that he had just read the Pentagon policy and did not understand what “the media is complaining about.”
After Mr. Parnell’s announcement, Mr. Pool wrote on X that his own company, Timcast Media, which signed the policy, would not maintain a “significant presence” at the Pentagon. Mr. Pool commands an audience of four million between his YouTube and X accounts and received handsome payments to make videos for a company clandestinely funded by Russian state media actors to promote division in the United States, according to a federal indictment. (Pool said he was unaware of the source of the funds and was not charged in the indictment.)
“Should a major story unexpectedly come our way that conflicts with press policies,” Mr. Pool wrote, “we will prioritize the public’s right to know and transparency. However, as we are not investigative reporters, we do not anticipate frequently encountering such situations and respect those dedicated to uncovering information of vital public interest.”
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