I Was Added To The White House’s 'Media Offenders' List — And I Wear It Proudly

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I began receiving an onslaught of messages — including multiple death threats — after learning I had been added to President Donald Trump’s so-called “Media Offenders” list, a taxpayer-funded enemies list posted on the White House website. The list represents the latest effort to rally the MAGA base against independent journalism.

My alleged transgression was a column in The Hill arguing that President Trump had misused the National Guard in a way that reflected authoritarian tendencies. Rather than rebut the factual reporting in my column, the White House objected to a properly sourced file photograph used as the story’s banner image.

From Mean-Girl Tactics to State-Sponsored Intimidation

There is a surreal quality to being placed in the White House’s official burn book — equal parts high-school theatrics and Orwellian targeting. The Media Offenders list is both alarming and pathetic: an effort to intimidate reporters instead of engaging with documented facts.

Being blacklisted by a government is a complicated compliment: in a functioning democracy, it often means you’re doing your job.

Public Abuse and Shrinking Access

As the president’s approval ratings slide, his tolerance for criticism has frayed. On Air Force One, he dismissed a female reporter’s question by calling her “piggy” and telling her to shut up, and days later asked CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes, “Are you stupid?” These public outbursts are just the visible portion of what’s changing for reporters in Washington.

In October, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revoked Pentagon credentials from dozens of reporters after their outlets — including Fox News, Hegseth’s former employer — refused to sign a loyalty pledge that violated core principles of independent journalism. Some of those slots were later filled by pro-Trump activists and conspiracy figures, most notably Laura Loomer, who was awarded a Pentagon desk and brings roughly 1.8 million followers on X.

Restricting The Press In The West Wing

The restrictions go beyond the Pentagon. The White House announced that members of the press corps would be barred from the “Upper Press” area of the West Wing, and that the press secretary’s office — including Leavitt’s office — would be off-limits. These are not merely bureaucratic changes; they make it harder for reporters to question officials and to consult sources.

Some reporters who lost access are now labelled Media Offenders alongside me. Others, like MS NOW’s Ali Vitali, were singled out for correcting repeated false claims by the press secretary about the alleged criminal histories of individuals deported by ICE. As with any blacklist, inclusion is often a sign the journalist is doing their job: exposing facts and holding power to account.

Why This Matters

After years of branding reporters “enemies of the people,” this administration has formalized a list of those it most fears — the people it would like to see fired, silenced, or intimidated. Rather than cowing the press, the list should be a badge of honor. Reporting in the digital age can sometimes feel like shouting into the void, but attempts at intimidation rarely silence truth. If anything, they sharpen our resolve to speak truth to power.

So, thank you for the attention, Mr. President.

Originally published on MS NOW.