Media and the Cost of War: Hegseth’s Call for ‘Reality’ in Coverage
TL;DR
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged the press to focus on the ‘reality’ of war and criticized coverage that centers on American casualties in Iran. The piece traces how U.S. war reporting has evolved—from the Vietnam era to today’s more distant, video-game-like warfare—and notes journalists and historians say casualty reporting honors service and informs the public, despite limits on access.
- Hegseth's remarks highlight the government's reluctance to show human costs of war PBS
- This Week in DOW: Delivering 'Shock and Awe' to Iran, Defense Leaders' Declaration, Updates on AI U.S. Department of War (.gov)
- Pete Hegseth Treats Fallen American Soldiers as a PR Problem The Atlantic
- Live updates: US and Israel signal that attacks on Iran will intensify CNN
- America's new war machines showcased in Iran war Axios
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