When our reporter asked too many uncomfortable questions about the Trump administration’s illegal war on Iran, a CENTCOM spokesperson threatened to put him on their “list of people to disregard.”

Under Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Department of Defense has evicted dozens of journalists, from the New York Times to NPR — and tried to force reporters to surrender their press badges unless they pledged to report only on government-authorized information.

Now, The Intercept has learned that U.S. Central Command — which oversees military operations in the Middle East — keeps a secret blacklist of journalists. When our reporter asked too many uncomfortable questions about the Trump administration’s illegal war on Iran, a CENTCOM spokesperson threatened to put him on their “list of people to disregard.”

As Seth Stern from the Freedom of the Press Foundation told The Intercept, “Threatening journalists with placement on a blacklist in retaliation for reporting the government doesn’t like is as unconstitutional as it gets.”

The free press is a foundation of democracy, and its independence from government censorship is critical to a well-informed citizenry.

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