CNN Chief Responds To Pete Hegseth's Broadsides Against Network

"We stand by our journalism. Politicians have an obvious motive for claiming that journalism which raises questions about their decisions is false. At CNN our only interest is in telling the truth to our audiences in the U.S. and around the world and no amount of political threats or insults is going to change that."

"During the briefing, Hegseth highlighted CNN and dismissed a report by the network suggesting the Trump administration underestimated the war's impact on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it patently ridiculous and adding: It's a fundamentally unserious report."

"People look up at the TV and they see banners. They see headlines. I used to be in that business. And I know that everything is written intentionally."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized CNN during a Pentagon briefing, specifically targeting the network's reporting on the Trump administration's handling of the Iran conflict. Hegseth dismissed a CNN report about underestimated impacts on Strait of Hormuz shipping as "patently ridiculous" and "fundamentally unserious." He also commented on potential ownership changes at CNN. In response, CNN CEO Mark Thompson issued a statement defending the network's journalism, asserting that CNN's only interest is reporting truth and that political threats or insults would not deter their reporting. Thompson emphasized that politicians have motives to discredit journalism that questions their decisions.

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