RFK Jr. Admits Blacklisting Reporters After NYT Report
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lashed out on social media, admitting his department deliberately withholds information from certain journalists, amid reports of FOIA requests going unfulfilled.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has failed to respond to FOIA requests from journalists and citizens, and Kennedy has now acknowledged that some reporters are being deliberately ignored. This follows a New York Times report highlighting his disengagement from departmental duties.
Journalists from STAT reported that not a single one of their FOIA requests has been completed, including three from September 2025. The web page previously used to track requests has been taken down. While ordinary citizens and lawmakers receive no responses, the leader of Kennedy's anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense, reportedly has his FOIA requests fulfilled, according to STAT.
In his social media outburst, Kennedy admitted that HHS is withholding information from New York Times journalists, accusing them of "predictable bias." He wrote: "Since we all are aware of your predictable bias, we at HHS are unwilling to talk to you about the topics that are important."
This stance contradicts Kennedy's promises of "radical transparency." Upon taking office in April 2025, he pledged to restore FOIA offices and make information more accessible. Now his own statements indicate the department is refusing to inform the public, while simultaneously publishing his calendar, which journalists say is partial and unreliable.
Ars Technica has reached out to the HHS press office for comment but has not received a response.
