The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump made a historic announcement late Friday, revealing plans to remove four media organizations, including the New York Times, from their designated office spaces within the Pentagon. This decision was made to create opportunities for other outlets.
According to a memo regarding a “New Annual Media Rotation Program,” National Public Radio, NBC News (owned by Comcast Corp), and Politico will also be required to vacate their offices by February 14. In their stead, the New York Post, One America News Network, Breitbart News Network, and HuffPost News will be allocated dedicated office space.
Moving forward, the program will facilitate an annual rotation where one outlet from each medium—print, online, television, and radio—will be replaced to allow a different outlet that has not previously had the chance to report as a resident member of the Pentagon Press Corps, as stated in the memo.
An NBC News spokesperson expressed disappointment over the decision to revoke access to a broadcasting booth at the Pentagon, which the organization has utilized for many years. “Despite the significant challenges this poses to our ability to gather and report news in the national public interest, we will continue to uphold the integrity and rigor that NBC News is known for,” the spokesperson stated via email.
Over two dozen news organizations, including Reuters, operate from the Pentagon, covering the daily operations of the U.S. military.
John Ullyot, acting assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, clarified that the media outlets vacating their spaces will still retain full membership in the Pentagon Press Corps.
The sole alteration will involve relinquishing their physical workspaces within the building, thereby enabling new outlets to take their place as resident members of the Pentagon Press Corps.
The Pentagon Press Association, representing journalists who report on the Defense Department, expressed significant concern regarding this unprecedented action by the Department of Defense to specifically target highly professional media.
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