Who's in the revamped Pentagon press corps?

The Pentagon revamped its press corps last week by welcoming a host of new outlets to cover national security after they agreed to adhere to unprecedented protocols that prevent them from reporting on information that has not been cleared by Defense Department officials. 

The policy was first announced in late September and implemented earlier this month as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth aims to clamp down on surprises in the media. 

His Cabinet career has been marked by a Signal chat scandal where plans about overseas airstrikes were leaked and instances where internal Pentagon documents appeared to contradict statements made by the White House. 

Legacy media staples including ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Media and NBC News turned in their press badges last week after refusing to report only on authorized materials. 

Other reporters from conservative outlets including Newsmax, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner and the Daily Caller also turned in their badges, standing in solidarity against Hegseth’s new approach to coverage that outlets allege “threatens core journalistic protections” and presents roadblocks to a “free and independent press,” according to a joint statement from the five major broadcast news networks.

But a group of more than 60 journalists “representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists” have signed the Pentagon’s media access policy and plan to join 26 journalists from 18 outlets who already had building access and agreed to the new rules, according to chief spokesperson Sean Parnell.

Here’s a list covering some of the outlets in the revamped press corps:

Infowars

The far-right outlet was developed by Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who was ordered to pay a $1.4 billion defamation judgment for falsely reporting that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax backed by the government in a plot to promote gun control. 

A federal judge previously ordered Jones to relinquish control of the site and contribute proceeds to the families of victims in the shooting.

Breanna Morello is responsible for covering the Pentagon on behalf of Infowars and will do so from outside of D.C., according to a Thursday post on social platform X.

Morello said there was “nothing major” outlined in Hegseth’s new agreement and said it was an “honor to replace” her former colleagues who refused to sign on to the new policy. 

Gateway Pundit

The Gateway Pundit, another far-right outlet, was founded in 2004 and reportedly picked up a million site views per day under the first Trump administration. The site has reported false theories surrounding the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting incident in Parkland, Fla., alleging that the event was linked to liberal billionaire George Soros, according to The Washington Post. 

Similar inaccuracies have been associated with the Gateway Pundit's reporting on other shootings, prompting a range of defamation lawsuits. 

Now, its reporters will join the front line of defense reporters inside the Pentagon. 

“The Gateway Pundit is proud to join outlets like Real America’s Voice, Turning Point USA Frontlines, The Post Millennial, Timcast, LindellTV, Human Events, The National Pulse, RedState, and the Washington Reporter as some of the new outlets that will be represented in the Pentagon,” a statement on its website reads.

Frontlines TPUSA

This outlet is an extension of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. The organization focuses on promoting rhetoric from the far-right through on-campus activity at colleges in addition to widespread tours throughout the country. Its media arm promises to provide “raw footage and honest reporting."

“Frontlines TPUSA is thrilled to join the next generation of the Pentagon Press Corps. Follow us for more exclusive coverage from the Department of War,” the outlet wrote in a statement on X, confirming its intent to cover the Pentagon. 

Human Events

Human Events, a newspaper founded in 1944, will join the Pentagon press corps. It became strictly digital in 2013.

The outlet, which touts itself as a “conservative political news and analysis website,” shares ties with Kirk, who was a senior content contributor. 

“Human Events is proud to join the Dept of War press corps,” the outlet wrote in a Wednesday post on X.

Businessman Jeff Webb serves as publisher and senior news editor for the site. Webb founded the Universal Cheerleaders Association and Varsity Spirit, which popularized the sport of cheerleading. 

The Post Millennial 

The publication is owned by Human Events Media Group and operates as a Canadian online website. The site is described as far-right by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which cited posts from "right-wing propagandist" Andy Ngo.

“Ngo uses his Twitter account, his platform at far-right website the Post Millennial and appearances in conservative media to attack left-wing activists, Muslims, transgender people and people of color,” the SPLC wrote.

The site is funded by private donors, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corps. 

LindellTV

LindellTV is backed by Mike Lindell, a close ally of President Trump who supported attempts to overturn the 2020 election in his favor. 

Lindell is CEO of MyPillow and serves as the face of the company. LindellTV said in a statement on X it aims to use its Pentagon access to “challenge narratives, question power, and report what others won’t."

It also pledged to deliver news that’s “direct, unfiltered, and free from corporate control.”

Washington Reporter

The outlet says its identity lies at the intersection of business, politics and policy. The Washington Reporter was founded by Garrett Ventry, a business owner and reportedly a registered foreign agent for Qatar, and lawyer Brian Colas to be at the “right-of-center news and commentary to a D.C. audience,” according to its Muck Rack profile. 

Matthew Foldi, a previous candidate for Congress and Newsmax commentator, serves as the outlet's editor in chief.

“Our goal is to be insightful, useful, and help Hill staff succeed—all while being happy warriors and not taking ourselves seriously,” the Muck Rack profile reads. 

On Wednesday, the Washington Reporter condemned other outlets for refusing to adhere to the Pentagon’s new policy. 

“We unequivocally condemn the left-wing hacks who’ve inflated these guidelines into a manufactured crisis. Their sanctimonious posturing reveals more about them than the policies they defame,” the outlet published in an op-ed. 

“The Washington Reporter calls on our peers, especially from outlets with less reach than ours like the Washington Post, to reject this performative outrage, embrace the guidelines and embrace common sense.”

Just the News

The media organization founded by John Solomon, an alumnus of The Hill, The Washington Post and The Associated Press, is joining the Pentagon press corps. 

On Wednesday, Solomon said he’s seeking a full-time Pentagon correspondent as he continues to build a team of political journalists for the outlet. 

Solomon has been accused of embellishing stories multiple times, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.

Columbia University's news magazine wrote in 2012 that Solomon “has a history of bending the truth to his story line” and “distorting facts and hyping petty stories.”