News commentary

Pete Hegseth is a disaster of a defense secretary. It’s no surprise.

Media | The Guardian · Margaret Sullivan · last updated

The former Fox host has misled the public, prayed for violence and clashed with the press. This is not a serious military leader

With his jawline firm and his hair coiffed, Pete Hegseth was a good fit as a Fox News personality.

As the defense secretary – or secretary of war, as his boss, Donald Trump would have it – he’s disastrous.

His most consequential test, America’s misguided war with Iran, has proven that beyond legitimate argument.

But for those who watched him for years as a rightwing cable news figure, it’s not exactly surprising.

“Hegseth’s distinguishing characteristic on Fox was his fervent support for American service members who had been accused of war crimes,” recalled Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters, whose job it is to track the relationship between rightwing media and the Trump-led Maga world.

View full article

Related Knowledge Center: Democracy and politics

State of Play

News organizations are scrambling to find a coverage approach that adequately informs the American public about the country’s slide from democracy to authoritarian rule.

The White House vs. the press

More information

here today, more tomorrow

We’ve launched briefing.center with a focus on the press and media.

And we’ve added Citizen Cartwright, a daily quick-read news summary by veteran Washington journalist Linda Cartwright. We’ve also created a new voting rights knowledge center for Citizen Cartwright subscribers. (You can sign up for a dedicated morning email at citizencartwright.com.)

You can sign up here for full access to press and media and Citizen Cartwright on briefing.center.

You can use briefing.center as the center of your information management, or just one of your tools. We’re happy to discuss your information needs.

Sign up