Just days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized media headlines about the war in Iran, his former employer Fox News aired a banner using the exact words he had condemned. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, spoke at a press briefing on Friday, where he expressed frustration over how U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran were being covered. The conflict has been ongoing in the Middle East since February 28.
Hegseth specifically took issue with headlines like “Mideast War Intensifies,” especially when shown alongside images of civilian or energy targets hit by Iran. He called this kind of framing misleading. He suggested that a more accurate headline would be “Iran Increasingly Desperate,” and accused the media of deliberately not covering the war in the way the White House preferred.
According to The Independent, just two days later on Sunday, Fox News aired an interview with its Chief Foreign Correspondent, Trey Yingst, with a chyron at the bottom of the screen that read precisely: “Mideast War Intensifies.” The moment was first flagged on X by @BadFoxGraphics and quickly spread online.
The administration’s war on media coverage is intensifying alongside the conflict itself
This incident is part of a broader pattern of criticism from President Trump and other administration officials directed at news media. Since the conflict in Iran began, officials have repeatedly accused U.S. media outlets of spreading false information to shift public opinion about the war. This isn’t the first time Fox News has faced scrutiny, either; the network aired wrong footage during a solemn Iran war moment, and their apology didn’t go over well.
On Sunday, President Trump posted on social media, targeting what he called “corrupt media outlets.” He claimed, without providing any evidence, that Iran had been “working in close coordination with the Fake News Media” to spread AI-generated videos showing Iranian military victories.
He went as far as writing, “You can say that those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information!” While AI-generated and false videos about the war have been spreading online, credible news organizations have not been sharing these fabricated videos, despite Trump’s claims.
Trump also accused “the Radical Leftwing Press” of deliberately publishing false information, while claiming the U.S. was “decimating Iran.” Mr. President also lashed out at reporters who asked questions about the Iran conflict during a press briefing aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
He singled out ABC News, calling it “maybe the most corrupt news organization on the planet.” It’s worth noting that how the White House has treated ABC vs. Fox News has drawn considerable attention in recent days.
Since President Trump ordered strikes on Iran last month, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 Iranians and at least 13 U.S. service members, White House officials have kept up their attacks on media coverage.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has even stated that broadcasters’ licenses could be revoked for war coverage that the White House considers unfair. Trump said he was “thrilled” to see Carr “looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”
Published: Mar 17, 2026 07:45 pm