Fury erupted Wednesday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pentagon introduced what he called the "next generation" of press corps after forcing out media organizations and journalists who refused to sign a loyalty pledge.
Hegseth's right hand and chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell made the announcement Wednesday on X.
"Today, the Department of War is announcing the next generation of the Pentagon press corps. We are excited to announce over 60 journalists, representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists, have signed the Pentagon’s media access policy and will be joining the new Pentagon press corps. Twenty-six journalists across 18 outlets were among the former Pentagon press corps who chose to sign the DOW media access policy," Parnell wrote.
"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 added. "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."
Noticeably missing from the list of media organizations is Fox News — and instead, "sycophants" and "yes men" from super conservative Turning Point USA, among others, have made the cut, according to The New Republic.
Social media users reacted to the update:
"The Pentagon Propoganda Corps," Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) wrote on X.
"They didn't self-deport; they were pushed out for refusing to let the Pentagon pre-approve their stories. This isn't a new press corps. It's a compliant one. What happens when the only news you get is government-approved?" Investor Thomas Antony wrote on X.
"Wait a minute. The pledge required them to not go where they did not have clearance to go, and to not ask questions about subjects they did not have clearance to discuss. Those same rules applied to me as a Captain in the Marine Corps with a Secret Clearance," EMS helicopter pilot Ken Cox wrote on X.
"Fluffers and propagandists, not journalists," writer Carla Marinucci wrote on X.