The Trump administration, under Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has adopted a policy of not responding to reporters who include pronouns in their email signatures. This was confirmed by Leavitt herself and other officials, including Katie Miller, a senior advisor at the Department of Government Efficiency.
The administration justifies this policy by claiming that the inclusion of pronouns indicates a disregard for 'scientific realities' and therefore an untrustworthiness to report honestly. This stance has been heavily criticized by media outlets.
Several reporters, including Matt Berg from Crooked Media, have experienced this firsthand. The New York Times, which reported on the policy, called the administration's actions "baffling" and highlighted that avoiding questions is counter to transparent engagement with a free press. The Times spokesperson further emphasized that the decision to refuse responses based solely on email formatting is concerning, especially for the highest press office in the U.S. government.