【US media: Hedges' criticism of the media has reignited the discussion on war casualties reporting】
On March 6, 2026, in Washington, the Associated Press published a commentary article (uncensored) stating:
Comments by US Secretary of War Peter Hedges have reignited the long-standing debate between Trump administration officials and American media regarding war reporting, particularly whether military casualty reporting undermines public support for military operations or highlights the human cost of the conflict.
Hedges made his remarks during a Pentagon briefing this Wednesday, saying that the US media's reporting on US casualties in the Iran war aims to "damage President Trump's image." His comments were made while discussing six US Army Reserve personnel who died in an Iranian attack on a combat center in Kuwait.
Similar statements from the Trump administration have also raised doubts about how wars are communicated to the public, especially when conflicts escalate, casualties increase, and instability grows.
Timothy Naftali, senior research scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, said:
Reporting on the Vietnam War shocked many Americans in the 1960s and left a deep impact. For many US presidents, the lesson seemed to be: if possible, don't let the reality of the war enter American living rooms.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858938938955784/
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