New Pentagon press corps unveiled as right-wing podcasters, bloggers

Washington: A slew of right-wing podcasters, bloggers and “true conservatives” have unveiled themselves as new members of the Pentagon press corps after agreeing to a revised access policy that dozens of mainstream media outlets refused to sign.

Major television networks, newspapers and radio stations walked out of the Pentagon – the headquarters of the Department of War – last week rather than submit to a new policy that said they may be deemed a security risk for soliciting unauthorised disclosures of information.

Outlets that refused to sign included The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, all the major broadcast networks and even conservative channel Newsmax. News Corp’s The Australian initially signed the document but later reversed course, saying the rules placed “undue limits on press freedom”.

Fox News – also owned by News Corp – joined its television rivals in refusing to agree to the policy, saying in a joint statement that it was “without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections”.

On Thursday (AEDT), a string of lesser-known outlets announced they had agreed to the new rules and would accordingly be granted Pentagon press badges, with several posting that they were proud to join a “new generation” of journalists covering the world’s most powerful military.

Those outlets included LindellTV, founded by pillow entrepreneur and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell; right-wing network Real America’s Voice; a program, Frontlines, run by the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA; a Substack newsletter called The Washington Reporter; and a far-right conspiracy website, The Gateway Pundit, that unsuccessfully sought bankruptcy protections last year while facing multiple defamation lawsuits.

One of the news sites to sign up, RedState, describes itself as offering “unapologetic reporting and opinion by true conservatives for true conservatives”.

The reporter who joined, who goes by the name R.C. Maxwell, said: “A reporter’s burden isn’t to undermine or delegitimize the subjects they cover, but to report the truth to the people. The next generation is here.”

Tim Pool, a podcaster who gained prominence by livestreaming the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, said a correspondent for his online channel and podcast Timcast, who is ordinarily based at the White House, would attend Pentagon briefings as part of the new press corps.

“We aim to conduct podcast interviews whenever possible but do not intend to maintain a significant presence at the Pentagon or engage in in-depth investigative reporting, as specialised outlets do,” Pool said on X.

“Should a major story unexpectedly come our way that conflicts with press policies, we will prioritise the public’s right to know and transparency. However, as we are not investigative reporters, we do not anticipate frequently encountering such situations and respect those dedicated to uncovering information of vital public interest.”

The influx of conservative YouTubers, podcasters and bloggers accelerates a process that is also under way at the White House, where representatives of Trump-supporting outlets such as Real America’s Voice and LindellTV have regular access to the president as part of the White House press pool.

‘New media’ focus

Earlier in the year, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the building was being opened up to “new media” who had been excluded for years by an entrenched system run by the legacy media through the White House Correspondents’ Association.

A vast array of non-traditional media forms has flourished in the US, particularly on the right, as consumers increasingly turn away from mainstream news and seek out voices that correspond with their political views.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said more than 60 people had signed up to the new policy, “representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists”. That included 26 journalists across 18 outlets who were part of the former Pentagon press corps and chose to continue, he said.

“New 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,” Parnell said.

“Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon. Americans have largely abandoned digesting their news through the lens of activists who masquerade as journalists in the mainstream media. We look forward to beginning a fresh relationship with members of the new Pentagon press corps.”

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.