The US Department of Defense has announced that several major news organisations, including The New York Times, NBC News, NPR, and Politico, will vacate their physical office spaces within the Pentagon’s Correspondents' Corridor.

In their place, The New York Post, Breitbart News, One America News Network (OANN), and HuffPost will take up residence beginning February 14, 2025 in a significant realignment of media access at the Pentagon.

The change comes as part of a newly introduced Annual Media Rotation Program.

According to a memorandum addressed to the Pentagon Press Association, this initiative will ensure that outlets that have not previously enjoyed the “privilege and journalistic value” of working from inside the Pentagon will now have that opportunity.

While the displaced media organisations will retain full access to Pentagon press briefings and coverage opportunities, they will no longer operate from within the building.

The decision to include The New York Post and Breitbart News in the Pentagon press corps marks a shift toward incorporating more conservative and alternative media voices in military reporting.

By contrast, The New York Times, NBC News, and NPR have often been targets of Trump’s criticism, with the President frequently accusing them of spreading “fake news.”

Pentagon officials have maintained that the rotation is purely administrative and not politically motivated.

Despite assurances from the Department of Defense, the comparison to past controversies surrounding press access is unavoidable.

In 2018, CNN’s former journalist Jim Acosta had his White House press credentials temporarily revoked after a heated exchange with Trump, sparking debates on media suppression. While the current Pentagon decision does not revoke access outright, some people on X feel that it might influence coverage.

Reactions to the Pentagon’s decision were sharply divided on X, with some users welcoming the inclusion of Breitbart and The New York Post as a long-overdue correction to mainstream media dominance.

"About time the Pentagon gave a platform to real journalists instead of just the mainstream media elite," one user wrote.

"Breitbart and New York Post deserve a seat at the table, let's see some real reporting for a change," one commenter noted.

Others questioned the removal of well-established outlets from the building.

"But NBC has an entire booth w/cameras in the Pentagon… how dare they rotate them out to make room for other news outlets," one user remarked.

"So basically a state media. No free speech in that," another wrote.

Some users also speculated about the potential influence of the decision on media coverage.

"Assuming that all of those outlets will make their coverage extra favorable to Trump to get their space back," one X user wrote.