This is pathetic.
In a rare display of media unity, Fox News and CNN appear to have aligned in an effort to undermine Trump-era leadership at the Pentagon — taking direct aim at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a combat veteran and trusted Trump ally.
On Sunday’s episode of MediaBuzz, Fox host Howard Kurtz welcomed CNN’s longtime Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr, who used the platform to launch a pointed attack on Hegseth for tightening press access to the Department of Defense.
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Starr criticized Hegseth’s new policy requiring that journalists be escorted while moving through the Pentagon — a security protocol intended to prevent unauthorized leaks. She called the rules “unnecessary” and argued that journalists have historically had the freedom to walk the halls and “talk to sources.”
But Hegseth’s supporters say the move is both common sense and long overdue, especially after damaging leaks during the Trump years weakened America’s global standing and emboldened its enemies.
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Kurtz pointed out that Starr’s complaint echoes concerns posted on her Substack, where she wrote of “tremendous sadness” over losing unrestricted access to sensitive areas. She dismissed fears of leaks, insisting reporters can’t enter classified zones.
Yet many conservatives view Hegseth’s approach as a responsible safeguard against the kind of national security breaches that plagued the Pentagon under left-wing media scrutiny.
Starr claimed Hegseth was “embarrassed” by the fallout from the infamous “Signalgate” — where screenshots exposed conversations about an airstrike in Yemen and potential briefings with Elon Musk about threats from China.
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Critics see the media outrage as a classic case of press entitlement, where corporate journalists resist oversight even when national defense is at stake. Starr lamented that Hegseth has held just one press conference since taking office, framing it as a threat to the First Amendment.
But defenders of the Trump-aligned Pentagon leadership argue that limiting media grandstanding and focusing on mission-critical decisions is what the American people expect — especially in times of global conflict, like the ongoing war in Eastern Europe.
Even Conservative Media Isn’t Immune to Internal Division
The segment closed with a mention of conservative reporter Gabrielle Cuccia, who claims she was fired from OAN after criticizing Hegseth’s policy. Her ousting highlights growing division even within right-leaning media outlets — a development that raises questions about who’s really calling the shots.
As media giants like Fox and CNN appear to unite in a shared campaign against Trump’s inner circle, Americans over 50 are left wondering: Is this journalism — or just the latest front in a political war against America First?