Right-wing outlets converge on Pentagon
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The Pentagon on Oct. 15. Photo: Al Drago via Bloomberg/Getty Images
A flood of conservative media outlets took the Pentagon up on its new restrictions to gain access to the building that many mainstream outlets rejected.
Why it matters: The announcement advances the fundamental reshaping of the Pentagon press corps into one more overtly supportive of President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Driving the news: Frontlines (run by Turning Point USA), My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell's streaming service, Human Events, the Post Millennial, Gateway Pundit, The National Pulse and others are among the outlets that agreed to new restrictions the Defense Department implemented to permit access to the building.
- More traditional outlets like Axios, AP, The Washington Post, Fox News and more declined to comply, and their defense reporters handed in their press passes to the Pentagon and staged a walkout on Oct. 15 the protest the new rules.
- The restrictions included asking reporters who wished to be inside the Pentagon not to gather information that hasn't been approved for release, which journalists said would make it challenging to cover their beat independently.
What they're saying: "We are excited to announce over 60 journalists, representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists, have signed the Pentagon's media access policy and will be joining the new Pentagon press corps," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
- Parnell praised the new media outlets as having "created the formula to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media and get real news directly to the American people."
- The new reporters will join 26 journalists across 18 different outlets who originally had access and chose to comply with the Pentagon's new rules.
Podcaster Tim Pool told Axios he applied for press access for general inquiries and insights and he hopes to do long-form interviews as well.
- "I believe the claims about the press policy were exaggerated," Pools said.
- "If ever a story arises that puts us at odds with the policy we will report it regardless. As we are not a large news outlet nor investigative journalists we don't see it as an issue."
Catch up quick: Press freedom groups have panned the new rules, with the Pentagon Press Association declaring last week that they appear "designed to stifle a free press and potentially expose us to prosecution for simply doing our jobs."
- However, the Pentagon under Trump and Hegseth's leadership has been undeterred. The Pentagon revoked workspaces from mainstream outlets earlier this year, and Hegseth wrote on X that "Pentagon access is a privilege, not a right."
Between the lines: The Pentagon's restrictions are part of a broader effort by the administration to rejigger the Washington press corps and offer a more level playing field between mainstream and friendly outlets.
- The effort has included granting supportive right-wing reporters and podcasters unprecedented access to White House briefings, including with Trump, and cabinet-level trips abroad.
More from Axios:
- Pentagon confiscates badges of Defense reporters
- What the new Pentagon media rules actually say
- Pentagon staff now needs approval to interact with Congress
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Podcaster Tim Pool.
