Pentagon playbook problems
Pete Hegseth thinks this is funny.
Last night the defense secretary mocked good-faith questions about US strikes against suspected drug boats by posting a bad-faith meme.
The headline atop the NYT home page at the time was “Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime.” Top Republicans “have joined Democrats in demanding answers about the military campaign,” the story said. Hegseth isn’t providing those answers, at least not publicly. But the press corps isn’t letting up.
This moment highlights the reasons for Hegseth’s hostility toward the press — and the weaknesses of his approach:
– Remove Pentagon workspaces for reliable beat reporters. This was one of Hegseth’s first moves last winter, potentially disadvantaging news outlets like The Washington Post and CNN. Yet the Post kicked off the current news cycle last Friday, and CNN matched the reporting almost immediately. CNN’s headline: “US military carried out second strike killing survivors on a suspected drug boat that had already been attacked, sources say.”
– Rip up the old rules on Pentagon access. The new rules led the press corps to give up their credentials en masse, potentially making it harder to reach sources. But a close read of recent stories shows that people inside the Pentagon are still talking. Notice the word “current” here: WaPo cited “some current and former U.S. officials and law-of-war experts” who said the drug boat campaign “is unlawful and may expose those most directly involved to prosecution.”
– Ridicule the media so people are less likely to believe real reporting. Hegseth did this on Fox years ago, and now he’s much more brazen about this campaign of disbelief. But many readers and viewers can still tell when things don’t add up. As Asawin Suebsaeng wrote for Zeteo this morning, “It is inherently bizarre to talk about violent war crimes when there isn’t even a war going on in the Caribbean Sea.”
– Imply that news outlets make up sources. That’s what Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell did, claiming that “these people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of whole cloth,” which would be the journalistic equivalent of a war crime. Sen. Markwayne Mullin tried a similar tack on “SOTU” yesterday. He struggled with Dana Bash’s questions, at one point even exclaiming, “I don’t know why we’re spending so much time on this!” Why? In part because other lawmakers have serious concerns.
– Replace traditional outlets with Trumpy influencers. After adding all this up, it’s no wonder why Hegseth wants to import a more pliant “press corps.” The Pentagon comms shop is hosting pro-Trump media figures like Laura Loomer this week, as WaPo’s Scott Nover reported here. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson is set to hold an on-camera briefing for the first time — now that all the veteran beat reporters have left the building. The questions will be as revealing as the answers.
Daylight between Trump and Hegseth? |
WaPo’s lead headline this morning: “Trump says Hegseth denied issuing order to kill boat crew.” It is certainly notable that Trump also told the press pool, “I wouldn’t have wanted that. Not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine.” Meantime, CNN is reporting that Trump “will hold a meeting at the White House this evening about next steps on Venezuela…” |
In case you missed ‘South Park’ |
Last week’s “South Park” lit into Hegseth, recasting him “as an overeager content creator who mistakes a 5K race for an Antifa uprising,” Jeff Ihaza wrote for Rolling Stone. The show parodied the Kenny Loggins song “Danger Zone,” which Trump has appropriated in the past, and mocked Hegseth for “acting like a tough guy, posting it around the world / making lots of content, like a little teenage girl,” and challenged him: “Whatcha gonna do now, everybody’s laughing at you.” |
What the White House is ‘tracking’ |
Over the long weekend, the Trump White House unveiled a “Media Offenders” website, “devoted to naming and shaming media outlets and reporters that publish stories it disagrees with,” as WaPo’s Nover wrote here. The site features a “Media Offender of the Week” section, an “Offender Hall of Shame” (which includes CNN) and a “Leaderboard” of the most “offenses” committed. >> A Democratic lawmaker’s reaction: “Like Stalin, having condemned the press as ‘the enemy of the people,’ Trump continues his assault on free speech by cowardly attacking those who accurately report about his own wrongdoing,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett wrote. >> Fox News was initially named an “offender.” However, the WH had “incorrectly attributed questions in a press conference” to Fox, Nover reported. So the network “asked the White House to correct it and now there’s a 404 error where the page once was.” |
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‘Piggy,’ ‘ugly,’ and now ‘stupid’ |
Perfectly reasonable questions from CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes prompted Trump to call her “stupid” during a Thanksgiving Q&A. Her questions were about the vetting of Afghans who were brought into the US in 2021 in the wake of the deadly shooting of National Guard troops in DC. CBS did not make a statement defending Cordes. But the news division did publish a detailed story about the president’s behavior: “Trump lashes out at female reporters, calling them ‘ugly,’ ‘stupid’ and ‘piggy.’” Cordes, meanwhile, filled in on Sunday’s “Face the Nation,” and showed her exchange with Trump right at the top of the show… |
And in this ambitious “retribution tracker,” the news wire “documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership,” showing “the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.” Among the 470: “Nine media organizations have faced federal investigations, lawsuits, threats to revoke their broadcast licenses and limits on access to White House events.” |
⛳ Baier’s chip-shot cheer |
Trump hit the links with a few celebs on Saturday, including LIV golfer Brooks Koepka, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, and… Fox News anchor Bret Baier. The “Special Report” anchor has golfed with Trump a bunch; however, this time, video of Baier’s celebration after Trump nailed a chip shot raised a few eyebrows. “That’s the ‘straight news’ anchor at Fox, Bret Baier, cheering like his kid just won The Masters following Trump’s chip,” The Bulwark’s Tim Miller mocked on X. When one user replied that it was a normal celebration for the golf course, Miller said, “If it were Hannity it would not have merited a comment. Jake Tapper jumping for joy at an Obama pick-up 3 pointer would also be mockable.” |
The origins of ‘Strong Floor, No Ceiling’ |
☝🏻 You might have heard Democrats using that pithy phrase in recent months. WaPo’s Paul Kane explains that it “comes from the title of a book released this month and written by a Manhattan venture capitalist” named Oliver Libby. The title, embraced by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, “provides a new, four-word rejoinder to the decade-old Make America Great Again ethos…” |
New WBD bids are due today |
Warner Bros. Discovery “asked for fresh bids” by today, “hoping the three suitors would increase their offers and clarify any concerns,” Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw wrote in his Sunday night newsletter. CNN’s parent “is expected to pick a favorite bidder and enter exclusive talks soon, though the company told the contenders this isn’t a deadline for a last-and-final offer.” >> “And yet,” as Shaw tweeted, “everyone is already arguing over why their rivals’ bid could never survive regulatory scrutiny.” Charlie Gasparino keeps publishing those arguments… |
Also coming up this week: |
“The marathon to the Oscars officially begins” as the Gotham Awards are held in NYC tonight. The NYT’s DealBook Summit, with David Ellison, Erika Kirk and MrBeast among the interviewees, takes place on Wednesday. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting is live on NBC Wednesday night. WIRED’s The Big Interview event takes place on Thursday. And for all you Remnick stans, “The New Yorker at 100” documentary premieres on Netflix on Friday. |
>> Ryan Lizza is expected to publish another blog post about Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. soon. Heading into Thanksgiving, Lizza accused Nuzzi of numerous ethical lapses. (TheWrap) >> Vanity Fair is still “in the midst of a ‘review’ of Nuzzi’s work, and no final decision has been made,” Max Tani writes, but it seems likely that her temporary contract is not going to be renewed. (Semafor) >> David Sacks and many of his allies derided Sunday’s NYT report about Sacks titled “Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends.” Marc Benioff claimed the piece “isn’t journalism — it’s almost strategic sabotage.” (NYT) >> Related, by Nick Robins-Early: “How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online.’” (Guardian) >> David Bauder’s latest: “A lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike the news media.” (AP) |
Some wise reads from the holiday weekend: >> “In my 25 years working as a lawyer on free-speech cases, I have seen a lot of overreach. I have never seen anything quite like this,” Greg Lukianoff says in a guest essay about the Larry Bushart case. (NYT) >> “Being addicted to Bravo was a hobby. Now it’s a career.” Amber Ferguson says no other TV network or streamer “has a fandom where people have been able to turn their viewing obsession into a profitable career quite like this.” (WaPo) >> Mark Stenberg highlighted “five media trends I’m thankful for,” including “the dawn of the pay-per-crawl,” the “vodcast” extravaganza, and continued “creator-ification.” (AdWeek) >> “What happens when you kick millions of teens off social media? Australia’s about to find out,” CNN’s Hilary Whiteman wrote from Brisbane, previewing the Australian government’s impending ban. (CNN) >> “Borders are a key bulwark against chaos,” and the “great unmasking” on X is “arming Americans with digital borders,” Sean Rad and Zach Schapira wrote in this op-ed. (WaPo) >> Katya Ungerman suggests seeing your phone not as a drug, but as a portal to another world. The internet is “a fairyland — an otherworld with its own logic.” (NYT) |
NBC’s parade coverage breaks record |
Per preliminary Nielsen #s, about 34 million people tuned in for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade across NBC and Peacock, the event’s “biggest combined audience on record,” THR’s Kimberly Nordyke wrote. On TV, the main morning broadcast averaged 25.4 million viewers, “making it the most-watched entertainment telecast in nearly seven years,” since the Oscars in 2019. I liked Peacock’s multi-view feature during the parade. My son preferred CNN’s coverage of the parades in NYC, Philly, Chicago and other cities 😀 |
At the intersection of tech & media |
>> On the cover of the Business Day section today, NYT Emmett Lindner describes TikTok Shop as the new QVC, with “influencer advertisements that look a lot like TV infomercials.” (NYT) >> “YouTube TV and TelevisaUnivision have reached a distribution renewal, ending a nearly two-month blackout.” (Deadline) >> “YouTube is coming for TV’s money,” Kerry Flynn writes. (Axios) >> In this “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, James Cameron calls generative AI “horrifying to me.” (CBS News) |
The $156 million estimated gross for “Zootopia 2” was “the second-best five-day Thanksgiving debut” ever, behind last year’s “Moana 2,” CNN’s Auzinea Bacon wrote. The film “also earned $400 million internationally.” And “Wicked: For Good” continued to mint money. Box office details here… |
”Oxford University Press has chosen ‘rage bait’ — defined as ‘online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive’ — as its 2025 Word of the Year,” the NYT notes. |