On the Media: "Trump Demands Patriotic Coverage of the War in Iran. Or Else…"

Date: March 20, 2026
Hosts: Michael Loewinger (Brooke Gladstone out this week)
Notable Guests: Mahsa Alimardani, Mina Arshad, Samantha Gross, Eric Slavin

Episode Overview

This episode dissects the entanglement of war, media, and misinformation as the U.S. and Israel wage war on Iran, focusing on how the Trump administration seeks to control wartime narratives by demanding "patriotic" coverage, pressuring media outlets, and even threatening independent military journalism. Through expert interviews and analysis, On the Media explores the fracturing of information ecosystems—amplified by generative AI, state propaganda, and unprecedented government incursions into independent reporting—while unpacking the very real geopolitical and economic consequences rippling out from the Strait of Hormuz to American gas pumps and military publications.

1. The War on Iran and the Battle Over Media Narratives

• Wartime Press Briefings and Press Hostility

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launches repeated attacks on the press, accusing them of trying to sabotage the war effort and President Trump ([00:00]-[01:51]).
    • Quote: "A dishonest and anti Trump press will stop at nothing to downplay progress, amplify every cost, and call into question every step. They want President Trump to fail." - Pete Hegseth ([00:00], [01:17])
  • Media outlets sympathetic to Trump have been handpicked to replace the traditional Pentagon press corps ([01:40]).

• Framing & Propaganda

  • Hegseth rails against "fake headlines," suggesting what a "patriotic" press should say instead ([02:59]).
    • Quote: "For an actual patriotic press, how about Iran shrinking Going Underground?" – Pete Hegseth ([03:37])

• Historical Parallels

  • Comparison with Rumsfeld’s infamous “known unknowns” remarks from the Iraq War ([02:33]).
    • Quote: "...there are known knowns ... known unknowns ... unknown unknowns." – Eric Slavin quoting Rumsfeld ([02:33])

• Escalating Government Pressure

  • Trump escalates attacks on the press, calling them "sick and demented people" who want the U.S. to lose the war ([04:47]).
  • FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatens broadcasters’ licenses for "hoaxes and fake news" ([05:11]).
  • President Trump floats the idea of charging media outlets with treason for "dissemination of false information" ([05:28]).

2. U.S. Media Coverage: Whose Victims Count?

• Coverage Imbalances
  • Mina Arshad, journalist, discusses her analysis of NYT war coverage ([05:58]–[06:47]):
    • Of 103 stories, only 18 mention Iranian victims, while 29 mention victims of Iranian attacks, even though 97% of casualties are Iranian.
    • Quote: "Time and time again we see the hawkish voices, the pro war voices, get more prioritization over the anti war voices. Even though polls show that most Americans do not agree with this war." – Mina Arshad ([06:47])
    • Quote: "That's what patriotism looks like—standing up for your country and standing up to it." – Mina Arshad ([06:47])

3. The Information War: AI, Propaganda, and Epistemic Fracture

• AI Overwhelms the Information Space

  • Mahsa Alimardani, from Witness, explains how generative AI's proliferation has profoundly muddied wartime reporting ([07:20]).
    • Quote: "The Iran, Israel, US war may be the first conflict where, quote, AI overwhelmed the information environment at an unprecedented scale." – Mahsa Alimardani ([07:20])

• Regime Propaganda and the ‘Liar’s Dividend’

  • Iranian government leverages authentic war footage for propaganda, selectively documents civilian deaths ([08:21], [09:14], [10:11]).
    • Quote: "You have to really hold two truths at the same time: U.S. and Israeli bombs are killing Iranian civilians and the regime will want to overdocument and use this for propaganda." – Mahsa Alimardani ([09:14])

• Internet Blackouts as Information Control

  • Iran implements widespread internet shutdowns to suppress internal dissent and control the flow of information ([11:04]).
  • Select insiders are given privileged internet access to shape external messaging ([11:37]).

• AI Disinformation Gone Viral

  • A fake AI-generated photo set off confusion after a real bombing of a school; misinformation about the incident was fueled by earlier viral AI content ([12:48]–[14:38]).
  • Funeral spectacle and memorial photos weaponized in the propaganda war ([14:38]–[15:13]).

• Forensic Cosplay & Manipulated ‘Fact Checks’

  • "Forensic cosplay"—unscrupulous or ignorant actors use pseudo-forensic overlays and AI tools to cast doubt or create confusion, making real imagery suspect ([16:11], [16:30], [17:52]).
    • Quote: "This is now a new layer to the AI doubt. We are really going towards epistemic fracture in the information environment." – Mahsa Alimardani ([19:13])

• Fact Checking and Fragility

  • Elevated praise for analysts and teams (e.g., BBC Verify, OSINT researchers) who are tirelessly working to untangle real from fake ([20:06]).
  • Quote: "I know some fact checkers that aren’t sleeping during this war." – Mahsa Alimardani ([20:06])
  • concern: Overwhelmed audiences risk becoming unable to trust anything; recommendations for platform accountability ([20:42]–[21:25]).

4. The Global Economic Fallout: The Strait of Hormuz Crisis

[Segment starts ~22:51]

• Strait Shut Down: Oil Shock

  • Iran’s near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupts 20% of global oil and a significant chunk of LNG, sending shockwaves through the global economy ([23:33]).
    • Quote: "This is the biggest ‘I told you so’ in the history of I told you so’s." – Qatari Foreign Ministry ([23:33])
    • Quote: "The biggest disruption you can cause in one place in the world is blocking the Strait of Hormuz." – Samantha Gross ([23:51])

• Trump Administration’s Messaging vs. Reality

  • Trump claims oil shock isn’t a U.S. problem; energy experts explain that energy markets are global—U.S. consumers still pay through the nose ([24:47]–[25:39]).
    • Quote: "Oil is a global, fungible market... High prices in one place transform into high prices everywhere." – Samantha Gross ([25:00])
  • U.S. allies aren’t as eager to help protect the Strait under Trump, further limiting American options ([26:14]).

• U.S. Miscalculation & Intelligence Failures

  • Despite warnings, the U.S. leadership underestimated Iran’s willingness and ability to close the Strait ([27:10]–[28:15]).
    • Quote: "We assassinated the Ayatollah and much of his family on the first day. This was existential for Iran right away... The Strait of Hormuz was the first thing I thought of." – Samantha Gross ([28:15])

• Economic Consequences

  • Gasoline prices in the U.S. up more than 75 cents, diesel by over $1.25—costs rippling through the economy as inflation ([29:22]).
  • Attacks damage crucial oil and LNG infrastructure; even military strikes strategically avoid oil facilities, but the tit-for-tat escalation continues ([30:00]-[31:23]).
  • Venezuelan oil is insufficient for quick relief, as Trump justifies controversial foreign actions ([31:42]–[32:19]).
    • Quote: "The Venezuelan oil industry ... is held together with chewing gum and duct tape ... It will take years to get a significant amount of additional oil flowing out." – Samantha Gross ([32:19])
  • The U.S. proposal to lift sanctions on Iranian oil is counterproductive; Iran is already moving its oil ([32:58]).

• Comparisons to Past Oil Shocks

  • This shock is possibly worse than the 1970s, with higher supply loss but mitigated somewhat by better integrated global markets ([34:05]–[34:41]).
    • Quote: "We're losing more oil than we lost during the oil shocks of the 1970s… It could get really bad." – Samantha Gross ([34:07])

• Renewable Energy as Long-term Solution

  • The current crisis accelerates investment in renewables for energy security ([35:17]–[36:11]).
    • Quote: "You don't see these crazy spikes and blockages of solar energy or wind energy. … renewable energy helps to keep you out of messes like this one." – Samantha Gross ([35:32])

• On Media Coverage

  • Praises Financial Times’ granular, on-the-ground reporting; cautions against sensationalism and premature predictions ([36:27]).

5. Pentagon’s Takeover of Independent Military Journalism (Stars and Stripes)

[Segment starts ~38:37]

• New Pentagon Edicts

  • The Pentagon imposes drastic changes on Stars and Stripes: bans outside wire content, restricts FOIA requests, demands content “consistent with good order and discipline,” and opens the door to court-martialing reporters ([38:37]–[39:33]).

• Risks to Independence

  • Editor-in-Chief Eric Slavin decries the injection of PR and Pentagon-produced content at the expense of independent reporting ([41:06]).
    • Quote: "If you were to mingle PR with independent journalism, where it is indistinguishable, then that erodes credibility and [the] fundamental mission." – Eric Slavin ([41:06])

• What ‘Patriotism’ and ‘Morale’ Really Mean

  • Stars and Stripes’ mission is giving service members the granular, hard reporting that builds real morale, not empty cheerleading ([42:09]).
    • Quote: "You have a deeper morale when ... what you are posting corresponds with the lived experiences of your readers." – Eric Slavin ([42:09])

• Regulatory Backslide

  • Pentagon removes the Code of Federal Regulation guaranteeing independence, leaving Stars and Stripes' future in doubt ([43:23]–[44:22]).
  • Despite past close calls, the paper’s role remains vital—covering everything from on-base tragedy to military families’ hardships ([47:17]–[48:37]).

• Contemporary Infiltration

  • Press corps replaced by right-wing influencers and administration-friendly outlets; Pentagon demands loyalty pledges ([48:37]).
    • Quote: “The Pentagon press corps pretty much as a body did just that. … Right wing influencers like Laura Loomer is reining in Stars and Stripes. Just another attempt to control the narrative.” — Brooke Gladstone ([48:37])

• Resilience and Commitment

  • Stars and Stripes plans to persist, seeking conversations with Pentagon leadership, upholding independence as long as possible ([50:18]).
    • Quote: "We are going to keep on keeping on because we have no real alternative." – Eric Slavin ([50:18])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Politics of ‘Patriotism’:
  “That's what patriotism looks like—standing up for your country and standing up to it.” – Mina Arshad ([06:47])
• AI and Disinformation:
  "We are really going towards epistemic fracture in the information environment." – Mahsa Alimardani ([19:13])
• Energy Reality Check:
  "Oil is a global, fungible market... High prices in one place transform into high prices everywhere." – Samantha Gross ([25:00]) "We're losing more oil than we lost during the oil shocks of the 1970s… It could get really bad." – Samantha Gross ([34:07])
• Media Independence:
  "If you were to mingle PR with independent journalism, where it is indistinguishable, then that erodes credibility and [the] fundamental mission." – Eric Slavin ([41:06])

Key Timestamps

• 01:17: Pete Hegseth calls for "patriotic" coverage, attacks “dishonest” press
• 05:28: Trump backs FCC chair’s threats, floats treason charges for media
• 06:12: NYT analyzed for war coverage bias by Mina Arshad
• 07:20: Mahsa Alimardani on AI’s warping of wartime information
• 09:14: On Iranian government's dual role—as oppressor and propagandist
• 16:11: “Forensic cosplay”: AI and pseudo-fact-checking muddy truth
• 22:51: Focus shifts to Strait of Hormuz crisis, global oil implications
• 29:29: Real-time impacts of rising fuel costs in U.S.
• 32:19: Venezuelan oil: not a quick fix
• 34:07: The current oil shock exceeds the 1970s
• 38:37: Stars and Stripes under Pentagon editorial crackdown
• 41:06: Dangers of blending PR and journalism
• 48:37: Pentagon replaces press corps, pushes for more control
• 50:18: Eric Slavin vows to maintain Stars and Stripes’ independence

Conclusion

This episode of "On the Media" is a sober, incisive examination of the intersection of information control, wartime journalism, and the realities of a media environment under siege—from both governments and emergent technologies. The hosts and their guests lay out the ways in which information is weaponized, trust in institutions is fractured, and freedom of the press is threatened—not just as an abstract issue, but with direct, global impacts on war, democracy, and the daily lives of citizens and soldiers alike.