Key takeaways:

• The Trump administration has increased the number of media outlets evicted from the Pentagon, including CNN and The Washington Post.
• New conservative outlets are set to take their place, a move criticized as a means to undermine independent journalism.
• The Pentagon maintains that press access remains unchanged, despite concerns from ousted outlets.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has decided to evict several prominent news organizations, including CNN and The Washington Post, from their workspaces at the Pentagon. This policy aims to accommodate a number of smaller, pro-Trump outlets like Newsmax and the Washington Examiner, according to a memo from John Ullyot, assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Pentagon's newfound “media rotation program” has been met with significant pushback from the Pentagon Press Association, which described the decision as "unreasonable" and characterized it as part of a broader trend of hostility toward independent journalism by the administration. The memo indicated that the evicted outlets were to vacate their spaces in favor of less established media organizations that hold favorable views toward the Trump administration.

In response to these changes, CNN asserted that its core mission to report on the Department of Defense and the U.S. military remains steadfast, stating, “We will not be deflected from our duty to hold all three fairly and fully to account.” Similarly, The Washington Post communicated its determination to continue covering military issues despite the workspace changes.

The rotation program resulted in outlets like NBC News, National Public Radio, and Politico losing their workspace which is now to be occupied by outlets that have been publicly supportive of Trump’s policies. The changes have raised concerns about the ongoing accessibility of these formerly established media groups to military officials, though Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Ullyot has assured that press credentials for these organizations remain intact.

The competitive landscape for media presence at the Pentagon has intensified, with several organizations expressing alarm at the “strategic disadvantage” posed by being removed from these facilities. The Pentagon claims this is part of a plan to offer space for a wider range of perspectives, yet many journalists view it as an attempt to stifle independent reporting.

This latest decision comes in a continued context of friction between the Trump administration and specific media outlets, which have often been criticized by the president. The Pentagon Press Association’s plea for reconsideration was notably disregarded, stating its belief that space issues at the Pentagon could have been alleviated without the need for eviction.

Find more details in the reports by AP News and HuffPost.