Pentagon bars press photographers over 'unflattering' Hegseth photos

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pentagon-bars-press-photographers-over-unflattering-hegseth-photos/ar-AA1YpzIA

The Defense Department has barred press photographers from briefings on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran after they published photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that his staff deemed “unflattering,” according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

The March 2 briefing came days after a joint military strike on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28. It was also the first time the defense secretary had appeared from the briefing room podium since June 26.

Several outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images sent photographers to the briefing from Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But after they published photos — which have broad reach because they are licensed by publications globally — members of Hegseth’s staff told colleagues that they did not like the way that the secretary looked. Hegseth’s aides decided to shut out photographers from the two subsequent briefings at the Pentagon, on March 4 and March 10, according to the two people familiar with the decision.

[Snarkoleptic]

1. Hegseth could prevent this by not projecting a boozy teen trying to act like a tough guy.

[Blues Heron]

2. Fascists are such vain snowflakes.

[wcmagumba]

3. His name should be Douche-seth...

[Marie Marie]

4. What do you expect from a man whose early priority was

to install a make up room for himself. Tough manly man needed his make up to do his tough manly job. These men are ridiculous.

[KPN]

5. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! That's all.

[GiqueCee]

6. Kegsbreath's beleaguered staff...

... are playing 3-D spherical* Whack-A-Mole while trying to characterize the boss' fire hose of fuck-ups as being the fault of photographers. Talk about shooting the messenger...

*Imagine being inside a sphere with the entire inner surface punctuated by holes from which Kegsbreath's faux pas' spring forth every .6 seconds. The staff turnover must be almost as frequent. Poor babies. That's whatcha get for working for that asshole.

[ChicagoTeamster]

8. Are his staff military service members? If so, do they get a choice? or are they people that the generals gave him

Either to get rid of the problem staff or have their own spies to slow things down and report back to them so they know when to launch the coup and save the American Democracy from the Domestic enemies?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. MaddowBlog-Pentagon puts restrictions on photographers, adding to Hegseth's anti-press campaign

Whether the secretary realizes it or not, it’s not the photographers who are making him look bad.

Whether Hegseth realizes this or not, it’s not photographers who are making him look bad.

He’s managing to do that all on his own.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-12T14:44:53.756Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pentagon-puts-restrictions-on-photographers-adding-to-hegseths-anti-press-campaign

When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke in the Pentagon briefing room on the third day of the war in Iran, he was an unfamiliar sight: It was the first time the former Fox News host had appeared in the room since June. Not surprisingly, media photographers took a barrage of pictures of the secretary at the briefing.

That ordinarily wouldn’t be especially notable, except in this instance, the developments led the Defense Department to make some unexpected changes. The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has barred press photographers from war briefings after Hegseth’s staff deemed published images of the secretary “unflattering.” From the article:

Several outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images sent photographers to the briefing from Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But after they published photos — which have broad reach because they are licensed by publications globally — members of Hegseth’s staff told colleagues that they did not like the way that the secretary looked. Hegseth’s aides decided to shut out photographers from the two subsequent briefings at the Pentagon, on March 4 and March 10, according to the two people familiar with the decision.

....But the shift on photographers pushes the broader effort to a new and more embarrassing level: The Defense Department isn’t just concerned about substance, it now seems to be focused on appearances.

For all of Hegseth’s rhetoric about the importance of “lethality,” the secretary and his team continue to indulge in an endless parade of distractions. In the days leading up to the U.S. military offensive in Iran, Hegseth spent his time distancing the Defense Department from some of the nation’s leading universities while whining about “wokeness,” feuding with Anthropic over artificial intelligence safeguards, and forcing Scouting America to abandon programs and policies aimed at promoting diversity.

Now, while the Pentagon is ostensibly focused on ongoing operations in the Middle East, he and his team are taking time for reprisals against photographers over “unflattering” images of the secretary.

The gap between Hegseth’s tough-guy posturing and his real-world efforts is large and growing. Whether Hegseth realizes this or not, it’s not photographers who are making him look bad. He’s managing to do that all on his own.