USA13 March, 20262 min read
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Demands David Ellison Buy CNN, Calls Network 'Fake News'
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted CNN's Iran war coverage, calling it fake news. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged David Ellison to take over CNN amid $111 billion deal.
Hegseth's public attack
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth publicly attacked CNN during a Pentagon press briefing, singling out a specific CNN report about the Iran conflict and invoking the planned Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is rooting for David Ellison‘s Paramount Skydance to close its $111 billion deal to acquire CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery as soon as possible, as Hegseth lashed out at the news network over a report about the Trump administration’s Iran war.”
Multiple outlets reported that Hegseth “lashed out” at CNN from the podium and framed the network’s reporting as politically and operationally irresponsible, with several noting he referenced David Ellison’s pending $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery while urging the takeover of CNN.
Dispute over Hormuz reporting
Hegseth criticized a CNN story that said the Trump administration had “underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz,” calling the network’s reporting “fake news” and disputing the premise that U.S. planners had not accounted for Iran’s ability to threaten shipping.
Coverage across outlets recorded his denouncement of CNN’s claim and his characterisation of the report as “patently ridiculous” and “fundamentally unserious.”
Call for Ellison to buy CNN
At the briefing Hegseth repeatedly urged that David Ellison — CEO of Paramount Skydance and the figure behind the $111 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery — should take control of CNN, bluntly saying, “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
“His full comment: ‘Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do. Hold the Strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that.”
Several outlets quoted him making that exact call and noted he framed CNN’s headlines as intentionally misleading and unpatriotic.
Reactions and defenses
The White House amplified the attack: press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the CNN story “100% fake news,” while CNN’s leadership defended its reporting. Media Play News and Variety reported the White House statement and CNN chairman Mark Thompson’s response, and Media Play News noted Ellison has publicly pledged to maintain editorial independence at CNN post-merger. Meanwhile, outlets also recorded online pushback and criticism of Hegseth’s call for a politically aligned owner.
Deal context and implications
Observers framed Hegseth’s remarks within the bigger picture of the corporate deal and political pressure over media ownership, with outlets repeatedly tying his criticism to the $111 billion Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery transaction and noting calls by Trump for the new owner to sell or shutter CNN.
“Trump has called for the new owner of CNN to either sell the asset or shutdown the 46-year-old Ted Turner-founded network.”
Coverage emphasised both Hegseth’s media background and the broader debate over editorial independence in the wake of high-profile media acquisitions.
