Pete Hegseth and Anonymous Sources

Author

Bubba
05 Dec

Allegations of unruly behavior, primarily from anonymous sources, may scuttle “Fox & Friends” co-host Pete Hegseth’s chances of being confirmed as President-elect Trump’s defense secretary.

Point: Citing anonymous former colleagues and a “trail of documents,” a New Yorker essay published this week claims Hegseth was pushed out of his leadership role at Concerned Veterans for America due to accusations of financial mismanagement, repeated intoxication, sexual misconduct and fostering a hostile workplace.

  • According to a new NBC News report based on conversations with 10 anonymous current and former Fox News employees, Hegseth’s drinking habits, including instances of appearing on air while smelling of alcohol or hungover, raised significant concerns among colleagues during his time at the network.

Counterpoint: Former Hegseth colleagues have gone on the record to forcefully deny both the New Yorker and NBC News reports.

  • Two former senior leaders at Concerned Veterans for America, including former U.S. Army airborne ranger Sean Parnell, told Compact Magazine that Hegseth’s departure was due to policy differences with funders, not misconduct, and dismissed the "whistleblower" claims as fabrications by disgruntled former employees.

  • In response to NBC News’ story, a number of prominent Fox News staffers, including two Fox & Friends co-hosts, have publicly come to Hegseth’s defense.

  • Fox News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy: “You now have 2 people who sat next to him 8+ hours a week on the record. Will you retract or correct your story?"

Bubba’s Two Cents

I think the use of anonymous sources is a case by case situation, and it's not always wrong to use them, especially in fields like national security where you might otherwise get no reporting. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, 82% of Americans say there are times when it's acceptable for journalists to use anonymous sources. But in the past few years, the media's leaned on them way too often. In an era of record low trust in the press, that's just not going to fly anymore.