Hegseth's Comments Are A Reminder That Government Isn't Always Eager To Show The Human Cost To War

Remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that nan American property emphasizes U.S. casualties successful nan Iran warfare because it “wants to make nan president look bad” are a reminder of thing that has endured crossed galore decades and conflicts: nan hostility and trepidation astir news that reminds Americans of nan quality costs of war.

During his Pentagon briefing connected nan warfare connected Wednesday, Hegseth bashed “fake news” while addressing nan six U.S. Army reservists killed successful an Iranian onslaught connected an operations halfway successful Kuwait.

“When a fewer drones get done aliases tragic things happen, it’s front-page news,” Hegseth said. “I get it. The property only wants to make nan president look bad. But effort for erstwhile to study nan reality. The position of this warfare will beryllium group by america astatine each step.”

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt, erstwhile questioned astir nan remark by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins astatine her ain news convention later, doubled down. “You return each azygous point this management says and effort to usage it to make nan president look bad,” Leavitt said. “That’s an nonsubjective fact.”

Memories of nighttime aft nighttime of schematic images beamed into homes done a then-recent invention — tv — were difficult to shingle for those who lived done nan Vietnam War successful nan 1960s. Many believed nan cumulative effect of seeing that suffering nighttime aft nighttime turned Americans from supporters to skeptics.

Such vivid, friendly scenes of subject action by Americans haven’t been seen to that grade since, a bequest still successful spot pinch nan warfare that President Trump and Hegseth are waging correct now connected behalf of nan United States.

“For galore presidents, nan instruction seemed to be: Don’t let nan realities of warfare into people’s surviving rooms if you tin thief it,” said Timothy Naftali, elder investigation clever clever astatine Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Coverage of warfare — and entree to it — person changed

Today, nan images nan nationalist sees of warfare tin lucifer a video crippled — explosions seen lighting up nan entity from afar — pinch nan symptom overmuch much private.

Generations agone during World War II, journalists were embedded pinch nan military, and galore became family names — reporters Ernie Pyle and Walter Cronkite, photographers Robert Capa and Margaret Bourke-White. Those were nan days earlier television, however.

Vietnam was arguably nan astir accessible American warfare for reporters. Journalists stationed successful nan state sent backmost a dependable watercourse of decease and destruction.

Cronkite, by past a CBS-TV anchorman of nan astir celebrated evening news programme successful nan U.S., reported from Vietnam successful 1968 and concluded nan only logical measurement retired was a negotiated peace. “If I’ve mislaid Cronkite,” President Lyndon Johnson said, “I’ve mislaid Middle America.”

During nan Gulf War successful 1991, President George H.W. Bush was angered by split-screen tv images that showed nan coffins of U.S. work members being returned to nan United States while he, apparently unaware of nan timing, was joking pinch reporters astir different taxable astatine nan White House. The Pentagon banned sum of these ceremonies, saying it was to protect nan privateness of family members of nan dead, though critics said it was to debar showing pictures of coffins.

That ban, pinch a fewer exceptions, stayed successful spot until it was lifted by President Obama successful 2009.

Reporters who approached nan battlefield successful wars fought by nan U.S. subject successful nan 2000s were apt to person their movements restricted, if they were allowed astatine all. Jessica Donati, a newsman for The Wall Street Journal and Reuters who covered nan warfare successful Afghanistan, wrote for nan Modern War Institute successful 2021 that “it’s easier these days for journalists successful Afghanistan to embed pinch nan Taliban than pinch nan U.S. military.”

Reporting connected casualties predates Trump’s presidency

The quality of this warfare — fought thousands of miles from nan American homeland and not yet connected nan crushed successful Iran — has constricted nan number of American casualties and frankincense made them much newsworthy. Several journalists person pointed retired that reporting astir subject casualties predates Trump’s presidency. Hegseth’s connection “is a warped measurement of looking astatine nan world,” said CNN’s Jake Tapper. “Ahistorical.”

“The news media covers fallen work members because they person made nan eventual sacrifice for their country,” he said. “It’s a tribute. It’s an honor.”

There has been comparatively small sum from nan crushed successful Iran. A CNN squad led by Frederik Pleitgen connected Thursday became nan first journalists from a U.S.-based tv web to participate nan country, and he spent nan time racing crossed nan state to Tehran.

Dan Lamothe, subject affairs newsman for The Washington Post, posted connected societal media that Hegseth’s comments won’t extremity him from continuing to screen nan casualties of warfare — arsenic has been done nether presidents of some awesome governmental parties.

“These efforts haven’t ever been perfect,” Lamothe wrote. “But they’ve highlighted sacrifices by American servicemembers and their families, and shortcomings that sometimes allowed these deaths to happen. We’ll proceed to do so. It’s excessively important to stop.”

When Robert H. Reid was a apical editor astatine Stars and Stripes betwixt 2014 and 2025, he recovered that nan newspaper’s audience, chiefly work members, wanted much than earthy numbers erstwhile Americans were killed successful subject action. They wanted to cognize specifications astir nan lives of nan group who served — wherever they grew up, who they near behind, what their passions were, he said.

In 10 aliases 20 years, galore of these group will beryllium forgotten by each but those who loved them. But for what they gave for their country, they merit nickname for their lives, said Reid, an Associated Press world analogous for astir of his career.

“The nationalist needs to cognize that warfare is not a video game,” Naftali said. “It affects people.”

Bauder writes for nan Associated Press.