The Department of Defense has announced a major restructuring of its press access policy, forcing long-established news outlets to vacate their Pentagon offices. NBC News, The New York Times, NPR, and Politico have been ordered to leave their dedicated workspaces, marking the biggest change to Pentagon media access in decades.
The new annual media rotation program will replace the departing outlets with One America News, Breitbart News, the New York Post, and HuffPost. The move has been met with criticism from mainstream reporters, many of whom claim it is an attempt to silence opposition.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed just a week prior, has made it clear that the Trump administration wants a broader range of perspectives covering the military. Many conservatives have long accused mainstream outlets of spreading misinformation about defense matters, particularly regarding U.S. involvement overseas.
NBC News said it was “disappointed” by the decision, and NPR argued that it undermines its ability to serve the public. Politico called the change “deeply concerning.” However, Pentagon officials confirmed that these organizations still have full access to briefings and interviews with defense officials.
The new program does not block any media outlet from covering the Pentagon but limits which organizations maintain office space inside the building. The Pentagon has not provided further details on how future rotations will be handled or how outlets will be selected.
The Trump administration has already made changes to press access at the White House, restoring credentials to independent journalists and expanding access to alternative media. The Pentagon’s move marks another step in shifting how government agencies interact with the press.
