It’s said often: No matter how much you think you loathe the legacy media, it’s not enough.
Example #4,762 proving that comes in the form of reports about what a former sister-in-law of Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told some Democrats about how he allegedly treated his second wife.
The media was off and running with that one:
An ex-sister-in-law submits a sworn statement to senators accusing Hegseth of being so “abusive” toward his second wife that she once hid in a closet from him and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get away from him. @karoun @SharonLNYT https://t.co/hOMSt6z7gW
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) January 21, 2025
A memo clearly went out and the story spread. You’re well aware how this kind of “journalism” works:
Senate learns of new allegations against Hegseth https://t.co/rVyL1Jm6QK
— POLITICO (@politico) January 21, 2025
Senators have received affidavit containing new allegations against Pete Hegseth, who denies the claims. https://t.co/bmKydwMgxT
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 21, 2025
Oh, and it’s worth noting — not that some of these media outlets thought it was important — but Pete Hegseth isn’t the only person denying the allegations. The person who these stories claim Hegseth was “abusive” towards also denies them, and they ran the stories anyway.
I don’t understand how any reporter, in good conscience, could post a story alleging someone abused their ex-wife when the ex-wife herself said she wasn’t abused.
And yet Politico, WSJ, NBC News, Axios, and more decided to run this latest Hegseth story. It’s galling.
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) January 22, 2025
Some of the stories don’t even mention Hegseth’s ex-wife’s denial of this claim at all!
Vice President JD Vance rightly thought this was another opportunity to shame the activist media.
This is a story about Hegseth’s ex-wife, who herself said the story is a lie. “Journalism” like this is a disgrace and is why the corporate media has lost its relevance. https://t.co/Q1Ucy9IStP
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 21, 2025
The story is Hegseth’s ex-wife denying it all, but the MSM didn’t think that fit any desired narrative enough.
How do you run that story with a straight face? pic.twitter.com/58DkgSTWlF
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 21, 2025
Because they have zero shame and apparently haven’t lost enough money in defamation settlements yet.
How do they run that story with a straight face?
Habit. That’s how.
— Oh, I’ve Lettered, Trust Me (@6YrLetterman) January 21, 2025
None of this will stop them from doing the same thing all over again.
CBS ran the story tonight as well.
— The Jorster (@jorster) January 22, 2025
Hardly surprising.
The legacy media has had a lot of practice peddling lies.
— 🇺🇸 jeni 🇺🇸 (@JeniAndHerCat) January 21, 2025
They learned nothing from the last election and seem determined to just double down on the very things that has flushed the public’s trust in the media right down the drain.