Washington, D.C. – The Trump administration notified four major news organizations on January 31 that they must vacate their dedicated office space at the Pentagon by February 14 to make way for other outlets, including right-wing sites Breitbart News and One America News. The affected organizations are The New York Times, NBC News, NPR, and Politico.
In a memo, Department of Defense spokesperson John Ullyot stated that the move is part of a “new annual media rotation program” aimed at providing opportunities for new outlets to report as resident members of the Pentagon press corps. The New York Post will replace The New York Times as a print outlet, One America News will replace NBC News, Breitbart News will replace NPR as a radio outlet, and HuffPost will replace Politico.
The Trump administration has emphasized the importance of giving more access to non-traditional news organizations. The memo assured that the affected outlets would remain members of the Pentagon press corps and continue to attend briefings, but would have to give up their physical workspaces.
The Pentagon Press Association expressed concern over the decision, calling it an unprecedented move that singles out highly professional media who have covered the Pentagon for decades. The association has requested a meeting to discuss the matter further.