...
By Peter Aitken and Jenna Sundel
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a press conference on Friday criticized U.S. media coverage of the Iran War, particularly CNN, saying that the sooner the network is sold, "the better."
"Some in this crew, in the press, just can't stop," Hegseth said, providing examples of banners or headlines he found to be misleading, such as, "Mideast War Intensifies" or "War Widening," and suggested that instead media should focus on "Iran Increasingly Desperate" or "Iran Shrinking, Going Underground," saying that everyone knows it, "if it can be admitted."
He took specific aim at CNN, calling the network "fake news" and reporting that the administration had underestimated the impact of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz.
Read More on News
View content
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mgwvei4nwv2r
"Patently ridiculous, of course," Hegseth said. "For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz - this is always what they do: Hold the strait hostage.
"CNN doesn't think we thought of that. It's a fundamentally unserious report," Hegseth said, adding, "The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better," in reference to Skydance-owned Paramount's expected purchase of Warner Bros. and its media assets, which include CNN and HBO. Ellison is the CEO of Paramount.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump's administration has previously criticized CNN's coverage of the war in Iran. At a press briefing earlier this month, CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about comments Hegseth made on the media's coverage of the deaths of U.S. service members. Collins said Hegseth was "complaining" about the media coverage.
"That's not what the secretary said, Kaitlan, and that's not what the secretary meant, and you know it. You know you are being disingenuous," Leavitt said.
Leavitt added, "The press does only want to make the president look bad. That's a fact. Especially you and especially CNN."
Hegseth's comments also come as the press faces challenges covering the Department of Defense under Hegseth. Most mainstream news organizations have left their desks at the Pentagon rather than accept new rules implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration that restrict their movements and whom they can talk to.
The Pentagon has been giving passes to reporters who vacated their desks in order to attend Hegseth’s briefings on the Iran war, but it has not allowed photographers to cover recent briefings. The Washington Post reported that the decision was made by Hegseth's staff after they did not like how the secretary looked in photos taken at a March 2 briefing.
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) said it "strongly condemns" the reported decision by the Department of Defense to exclude press photographers from Pentagon briefings.
"NPPA finds it stunning that one of the nation’s highest officials is more concerned with his personal vanity than with complete and accurate reporting of briefings during a war against Iran in which Americans have lost their lives," the NPPA wrote. "Preventing credentialed journalists from documenting official government briefings because officials dislike how they appear in photographs raises serious First Amendment concerns."
What To Know
Paramount is expected to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN, after Netflix declined to raise its bid to purchase the company last month.
Warner's board announced that Paramount's offer to buy the entire company for $31 per share was superior to the agreement it had previously struck with Netflix. The board gave Netflix four days to respond with a counteroffer, but they instead dropped their bid.
“We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.′ iconic brands,” Netflix’s co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said in a joint statement. “But this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price.”
A merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount would put CNN under the same company as CBS, which has taken steps to appeal to more conservative viewers in its news operations under Skydance ownership. This includes the installation of Free Press founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
Skydance bought out Paramount in a merger approved just weeks after the company agreed to pay the president $16 million to settle a lawsuit over editing at Paramount’s “60 Minutes” program on CBS.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said last month that he was not involved in Netflix and Paramount's battle to purchase Warner Bros.
Trump told NBC News, "I must say, I guess I’m considered to be a very strong president. I’ve been called by both sides. It’s the two sides, but I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it."
Democratic lawmakers, however, have accused the president of being involved in the decision.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said on X last month, after Netflix announced it was dropping its bid, "What did Trump officials tell the Netflix CEO today at the White House? Looks like crony capitalism with the President corrupting the merger process in favor of the billionaire Ellison family."
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines