Media and the Cost of War: Hegseth’s Call for ‘Reality’ in Coverage
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.