When Pentagon journalists walked out rather than sign Donald Trump’s loyalty-style media agreement, it exposed just how far his administration is willing to go to control the narrative. But as DCReport’s founder David Cay Johnston explains, that may actually be good news for journalism — and for democracy.
In this episode of Reality Check, Johnston breaks down how Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, tried to force reporters to become Pentagon propagandists — and why their refusal could open the door to a new kind of accountability reporting.
At DCReport, we’ve proven for nearly nine years that you don’t need access, press conferences, or spin to uncover the truth — just persistence, public records, and independent thinking. Imagine if Pentagon coverage worked the same way.
📢 Watch below to learn why real journalism means covering what politicians do, not just what they say.
🔎 About DCReport:
Founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston, DCReport.org is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates how government actions affect you — not corporations, not politicians, not the powerful few.
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