Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a sweeping shift at the Pentagon, reportedly announced the launch of a new annual media rotation program effective February 15, 2025. According to a memo sent to the Pentagon Press Corps, several longstanding media organizations, including NBC News, The New York Times, NPR, and Politico, will lose their office spaces at the Pentagon.
These news outlets will be replaced by a new roster of media organisations - The New York Post, One America News Network (OANN), Breitbart News, and HuffPost.
The move is part of a broader strategy to diversify the media landscape within the Defense Department, according to Pentagon officials.
“For over a half-century, the Pentagon Press Corps has benefited from working out of individual office spaces that provide coveted and open access to some of the Department’s top military and civilian leaders,” read the memo Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot sent to the Pentagon Press Association, as reported by NBC News.
“In order to broaden access to the limited space of the Correspondents’ Corridor to outlets that have not previously enjoyed the privilege and journalist value of working from physical office space in the Pentagon, beginning February 14, 2025,” Ullyot wrote, there will be “a new Annual Media Rotation Program for those dedicated media spaces.”
This decision comes just seven days after the Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the new Defense Secretary. The confirmation followed weeks of media scrutiny over Hegseth’s personal conduct, including allegations regarding his treatment of women and concerns over his alcohol consumption. Hegseth has denied all allegations.
In a historic move to adapt to the evolving media landscape, the Trump Administration last week unveiled a plan to allocate seats in the White House press briefing room to representatives from “new media” outlets, including podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators.
The announcement was made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. During her first daily briefing on January 28, Leavitt explained the reasoning behind the plan, emphasising the growing influence of non-traditional news sources.
As part of the initiative, a designated “New Media Seat” will be added to the front row of the briefing room, a space previously reserved for the press secretary’s staff. This new seat will be open to content creators and journalists who meet the newly established criteria for press credentials.
“We are inviting independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for White House press credentials through our newly launched website, whitehouse.gov/newmedia,” Leavitt announced.
The move marks a significant departure from past practices, as the Trump Administration seeks to broaden its media outreach by embracing alternative platforms and voices. Leavitt reiterated the administration’s commitment to ensuring that a diverse range of media voices have the opportunity to represent the American public.
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