CNN became the focal point of a Pentagon briefing on the ongoing conflict in Iran on Friday, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (himself a former news anchor) dropped the news channel from the podium.
The subject of Hegseth’s ire was a story from CNN that said the Trump administration had underestimated Iran’s ability to effectively shut down maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Hegseth criticized the report as “more fake news from CNN.”
“There is no mercy, no mercy for our enemies,” Hegseth said. “And yet, some in the press cannot stop.” “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
A CNN spokesperson said Hollywood Reporter “We stand by our reporting.”
Ellison, of course, is the CEO of Paramount Skydance, and he just signed a $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN. At CBS News, Ellison installed Free Press founder Barry Weiss as editor-in-chief. Weiss was seeking to reshape CBS News, including by adding more voices to its coverage, much to the consternation of some and the delight of others.
There is clearly an expectation that if WBD continues, similar changes will come to CNN. It should be noted that Ellison paid tribute to CNN at a town hall in Warner Bros. Arena. Earlier this week, he promised editorial independence for the channel (he also said CBS News has editorial independence under Weiss).
Hegseth has sought to tighten journalists’ access to the Pentagon in recent months. First, virtually all Pentagon correspondents lost access to their press badges and desk space after refusing to agree to burdensome new reporting rules.
This week, the Pentagon banned photojournalists from attending press conferences on Iran because of images deemed unflattering, according to a report. The Washington Post a report.
Hegseth’s former Fox News colleague Jennifer Griffin called him out on Thursday night as he accepted the RTDNA First Amendment Award at RTDNA’s annual dinner at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.
“I am concerned that during this period of war, news organizations that have been reporting uninterrupted from inside the Pentagon since 1947 are no longer allowed this access,” Griffin said. If it weren’t for the presence of reporters inside the Pentagon USA TodayWe didn’t know how the Marines blocked the MRAP program. These MRAPs have saved the lives of some of the people who are now curtailing press freedoms at the Pentagon. We wouldn’t have known without that The Washington Post Dana Priest on the Walter Reed scandal. That’s what the Pentagon press corps has done over the years.
