Laura Loomer, a far-right commentator who has promoted conspiracy theories and is an unabashed supported of President Donald Trump, was recently granted access to cover the Pentagon. Press groups warn of the implications.
The Pentagon has given press credentials to Laura Loomer, head of media organization "LOOMERED and a pro-Trump, self-described "America First" supporter with a dubious history of conspiracy claims and publicity stunts. Military.com reported in September that the Pentagon imposed new media restrictions requiring approval before reporting even unclassified information—a change critics said would chill independent coverage.
Military.com reached out to Loomer for comment, and also asked the Defense Department to explain what access her credential provides.
"I’m excited to announce that after a year of breaking the most impactful stories that pertain to our nation’s national security and rooting out deceptive and disloyal bad actors from the Department of War, I have joined the Pentagon Press Corps!" Loomer posted Monday on X. " LOOMERED is now a credentialed outlet at the Pentagon. There is no denying that my investigative reporting has had a massive impact on the landscape of personnel decisions within the Executive Branch, our intelligence agencies and the Pentagon."
Just last month, Loomer—a self-described "Islamophobe"—criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement of a Qatari air force facility settling in Idaho. She said not “a single Trump supporter supports allowing Qatar to have a military base on US soil.”
Pentagon Should Be 'Fair and Grounded'
Reporters and press freedom groups say the briefing room is becoming a political stage instead of a place for accountability.
Caroline Hendrie, executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists, told Military.com that limiting access hurts the public’s right to know. The Pentagon also should not shut out experienced reporters while letting in political activists, she said.
“Any move that restricts journalists’ ability to gather information and seek answers on the public’s behalf threatens transparency, accountability and press freedom,” Hendrie said. “The Pentagon should uphold open, viewpoint-neutral access. The Pentagon, like all federal agencies, has a duty to ensure that credentialing and briefing policies are fair and grounded in the public’s right to know.”
She said letting partisan influencers into the room while experienced reporters walk out puts trust at risk.
“If ethical, independent outlets lose access while partisan personalities gain it, the public loses real reporting,” she told Military.com. “Military matters demand scrutiny from experienced journalists, not gatekeeping based on ideology or influence.”
New Media Devoid of "Activists"
Military.com previously reported that after several mainstream outlets including the Associated Press and The New York Times declined to sign the new credential agreement, the Pentagon announced a “new” press corps filled largely with conservative outlets including the podcaster Tim Pool, National Pulse, Human Events, Gateway Pundit, the Just the News website founded by journalist John Solomon, Frontlines by Turning Point USA, and LindellTV operated by “MyPillow” CEO Mike Lindell.
Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said at the time that the shift represents the "next generation" of national security journalism and criticized 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,” Parnell wrote on X in October. “We look forward to beginning a fresh relationship with members of the new Pentagon press corps.”
It's a press corps that doesn't include conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax, who walked out with the other previous news organizations.
New National Precedent
Organizations like SPJ, in operation for more than a century and dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and upholding high ethical standards, say the recent shift is important as the Pentagon is one of the most important public-facing national security institutions.
Hendrie said other agencies take cues from the Defense Department. Rule changes like what's happened at the Pentagon can ripple across the entire federal system.
“History shows that once agencies begin setting selective or subjective standards for press credentials, those models often spread,” Hendrie said. “Changes at the Pentagon are a vivid example of a deeply troubling trend toward restricting access to information that the public deserves to know.”
Reuters national security reporter Phil Stewart also blasted Loomer, writing on X on Nov. 4 that she may have already broken Pentagon rules with her post informing of her new credentials.
Loomer “is appealing for tips, as she announces that she’s signing onto a Pentagon policy prohibiting that basic aspect of journalism,” Stewart wrote. “The policy states, and I quote: ‘An advertisement or social media post by an individual journalist or media outlet that directly targets DoW personnel to disclose non-public information without proper authorization would constitute a solicitation that could lead to revocation’ of press credentials.”
