Spokesperson calls journalists who refused to agree to new rules āself-righteous media who chose to self-deportā
Eric Berger at The Guardian:
After the recent departure of Pentagon reporters due toĀ their refusalĀ to agree to a new set of restrictive policies, the defense department has announced a ānext generation of the Pentagon press corpsā featuring 60 journalists from far-right outlets, many of which have promoted conspiracy theories. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted theĀ news on XĀ but did not provide any names. TheĀ Washington Post, however, obtained a draft of the announcement, which stated that the new reporters, who agreed to the departmentās new policies, were from outlets such as Lindell TV, started by Trump ally Mike Lindell; the Gateway Pundit; the Post Millennial; Human Events; and the National Pulse. The list also includes Turning Point USAās media brand Frontlines, influencer Tim Poolās Timcast and a Substack-based newsletter called Washington Reporter, the Post reported. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Guardianās request for the list of journalists. Parnell described the group as a ābroad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalistsā. āNew media outlets and independent journalists have created the formula to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media and get real news directly to the American people,ā Parnell wrote. āTheir reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.ā
The new press corps includes rightwing outlets that have promoted conspiracy theories. For example, theĀ Gateway PunditĀ spread false information about the 2020 election and then settled a defamation lawsuit with two Georgia election workers it falsely accused of wrongdoing and admitted that there was no fraud in the election. Similarly, Lindell denied the results of the election and was ordered toĀ pay $2.3mĀ to an employee of a voting machine company who sued him for defamation.
Pool, a conservative podcast host, was amongĀ the influencersĀ who allegedly were associated with a US content creation company that was provided with nearly $10m from Russian state media employees to publish videos with messages in favor of Moscowās interests and agenda. Pool said they were ādeceived and are victimsā. The journalists who turned in their press credentials earlier this month did so after the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, introducedĀ a policyĀ that required that they agree not to obtain unauthorized material and restricted access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official. Outlets including the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Atlantic, as well as reporters from rightwing outlets such asĀ Fox News and Newsmax, all refused to sign on to the new rules.
The Pentagon named new members of the press corps, and they all come from various far-right propaganda outlets such as The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial, Turning Point USAās Frontlines, Real Americaās Voice, and Lindell TV.
See Also:
Daily Kos: Pentagonās new press corps is the stuff of nightmares
Military.com: After Others Departed, Pentagon Announces 'New' Press Corps Filled with Conservative News Outlets
