The Department of Defense ordered some major news media outlets to vacate their offices inside the Pentagon so that they may be replaced by pro-Trump outlets.
In a memo on Friday night Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense John Ullyot called the shakeup a new “annual media rotation program.”
Starting Feb. 14, The New York Times, NBC News, National Public Radio, and Politico will vacate their offices in the Pentagon press Corp workspace.
They will be replaced by pro-Trump outlets The New York Post, One America News Network and Breitbart News.
Huffpost was invited to move into Politico’s workspace, which is an exception considering that the outlet does not offer fawning praises in their coverage of Donald Trump when compared to the other newcomers.
In the statement Ullyot explained that the booted outlets “will remain as full members of the Pentagon Press Corps.”
“The only change will be giving up their physical workspaces in the building to allow new outlets to have their turn to become resident members of the Pentagon Press Corps,” Ullyot continued.
However, Kevin Baron, a former vice president of the Pentagon Press Association, called the move “erasure of journalism at the Pentagon.”
“Kicking out reporters HURTS coverage. If you can’t file your stories from inside the building you are disadvantaged. If you don’t have a work space you are disadvantaged,” Baron said in a series of posts on X.
The National Press Club, an advocate for press freedom, also criticize the move.
“The National Press Club is deeply concerned by the Defense Department’s decision to remove certain media organizations from their dedicated spaces in the Pentagon,” National Press Club President Mike Balsamo said in a statement. “Any action that restricts the ability of journalists to report on the operations of the U.S. government should alarm all who value transparency and press freedom.”
