During a 4 March press briefing with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, a reporter from LindellTV, the network founded by pro-Trump entrepreneur Mike Lindell, asked a pointed question: if the US had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities in a previous operation, what intelligence suggested Iran had become a threat again, necessitating Operation Epic Fury? The query surprised some observers who had expected sycophancy from the new, Trump-friendly press corps.
Similarly, a reporter from the Gateway Pundit, an outlet known for peddling falsehoods, asked about US dissatisfaction with ally Israel, questioning whether Israel might be taking advantage of US backing. These questions have led some longtime Pentagon correspondents to note that, despite fears of cheerleading, the new media contingent is performing better than anticipated.
One veteran Pentagon correspondent, who attended all four Iran briefings, said the questions have been "fair, valid, and similar to questions I’ve had in my own notebook," though lacking the intensity of mainstream reporters. Mark Feldstein, a journalism professor, observed that even Hegseth's "rightwing media lackeys" are raising obvious questions about the risk of an Iran quagmire, a departure from mindless cheerleading.
However, not all assessments are positive. A second longtime reporter described the questioning as "really below par" and "not really challenging." During the 4 March briefing, one reporter asked Hegseth about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' comment that Americans don't want another endless war, a question Hegseth easily turned into a critique of Democrats. The briefing closed with a softer question about what prayer Hegseth was saying for troops, drawing criticism on social media.
Barbara Starr, a former CNN Pentagon correspondent, acknowledged that some new media reporters have asked reasonable questions, but stressed that traditional journalists should not be excluded. The Pentagon has since allowed legacy reporters who gave up their press passes last autumn to attend the Iran briefings.
