Outlets that reach millions denied access to rare Pentagon news briefings this week
The briefings are instead being held for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s hand-picked media organizations.
It’s not as if there’s little to talk about, with both the Senate and House Armed Services committees opening investigations into U.S. military strikes against alleged drug couriers in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Hegseth’s team says the briefings are part of special orientation events for a newly credentialed Pentagon press corps, consisting primarily of conservative outlets that agreed to his new rules for operation.
Most mainstream outlets exited the Pentagon this fall rather than agree to the new rules. The Defense Department says they are “common sense” regulations designed to prevent the spread of classified information. But many news outlets worried they would effectively be agreeing only to report news approved by Hegseth.
https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-press-corps-access-hegseth-defense-13d99be0dd906bcda714abffa3e020f8