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Late Friday, the Department of Defense announced that it would be removing<\/a> four major news organizations\u2014The New York Times<\/em>, NBC News, National Public Radio, and Politico\u2014from their in-house offices to implement a new \u201cannual media rotation program\u201d for its press corps.<\/p>\n They are being replaced by One America News Network, the New York Post<\/em>, Breitbart News Network, and HuffPost. OANN and the Post<\/em> lean conservative, Breitbart is a right-wing news organization, and HuffPost leans progressive.<\/p>\n According to NBC News, the Pentagon sent a memo<\/a> to the press corps instead of individually notifying the organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cIn order to broaden access to the limited space of the Correspondents\u2019 Corridor to outlets that have not previously enjoyed the privilege and journalist value of working from physical office space in the Pentagon,\u201d acting assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs John Ullyot<\/strong> said in the memo sent to the Pentagon Press Association, there will be \u201ca new Annual Media Rotation Program for those dedicated media spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n The four outlets will still remain full members of the Pentagon Press Corps, according to Ullyot. The program is set to begin on February 14, giving the organizations just two weeks to leave the offices that some of them have held throughout several presidents\u2019 tenures.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re disappointed by the decision to deny us access to a broadcasting booth at the Pentagon that we\u2019ve used for many decades,\u201d NBC News said in a statement. \u201cDespite the significant obstacles this presents to our ability to gather and report news in the national public interest, we will continue to report with the same integrity and rigor NBC News always has.\u201d<\/p>\n The directive comes from an administration that has made its disdain for media outlets and journalists who hold President Donald Trump<\/strong> accountable abundantly clear in the few weeks since officially coming to Washington.<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt<\/strong>, the new White House Press Secretary, has presented a combative tone with journalists in the briefing room<\/a> and in emails<\/a>. In late January, she announced<\/a> the creation of a dedicated seating section for \u201cnew media.\u201d She also said the Trump administration would restore the press credentials of 440 individuals that were \u201cwrongly revoked by the previous administration.\u201d<\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhile I\u2019ve vowed to provide the truth from this podium, we ask that all of you in this room hold yourselves to that same standard,\u201d Leavitt added during the press briefing. \u201cWe know for a fact that there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family. And we will not accept that. We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this White House.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has, through three runs for office, made railing against the media a cornerstone of his politics\u2014including critiquing<\/a> this publication in 2020 for its \u201cthird rate Fake reporters\u201d who write \u201cphony & boring\u201d hit pieces. According<\/a> to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker database, from the time he announced his candidacy in 2015 to early 2021, Trump posted negatively about the media more than 2,490 times on Twitter. And, only counting online posts, Trump has called individual networks, the press, or \u201cfake news\u201d the \u201cenemy of the people\u201d tens of times<\/a>.<\/p>\n During an August rally, Trump again called journalists the \u201cenemy of the people.\u201d Less than ten minutes later, a man stormed the media section<\/a> at the event, attempting to climb up the side of the enclosed area. Trump, appearing to be watching the incident unfold, said it was \u201cbeautiful\u201d before repeatedly noting, \u201che\u2019s on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the DoD\u2019s Friday memo, the Pentagon Press Association said<\/a> it was \u201cgreatly troubled by this unprecedented move by DOD to single out highly professional media who have covered the Pentagon for decades, under both Republican and Democratic administrations.\u201d In a statement, the National Press Club wrote<\/a>, \u201cThe ability of journalists to work without undue restriction, particularly in covering an institution as critical as the Department of Defense, is fundamental to a free and open democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTikTok content<\/h4>\n