Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image of Canadian cadets, drawing criticism.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a forum of The Americas Counter Cartel Coalition in Panama City, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Photograph: CTV News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image from the Cadet Training Centre in Vernon, B.C., showing two young women in uniform with the caption 'this is real'.
- The post generated significant criticism online, with some individuals stating it was unfair to target the youth program.
- Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss stated that Hegseth's post 'speaks for itself'.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the message as 'beneath their office'.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 11 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 13 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
68/100
13 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 11 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image on social media from the Cadet Training Centre in Vernon, British Columbia. The image depicted two young women in uniform and was accompanied by the caption 'this is real' and a Canadian flag emoji. The post subsequently triggered backlash online, with some critics arguing it was unfair to target the youth program.
In response to the criticism, Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss stated that the X post 'speaks for itself'. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney commented on the post, calling the message 'beneath their office'. The incident occurred amid reported increased tensions between Canada and the United States following the breakdown of trade talks the previous month.
Disagreement on Hegseth's intent
HuffPost reported that Hegseth has expressed contempt for overweight service members and pushed for change, implying his post was related to this. Other reports do not specify Hegseth's motivations or background regarding body image.
What the coverage left out
None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports mention the breakdown of trade talks between the US and Canada as a factor in the timing of Hegseth's post.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 1 Sept 2026, 16:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports focused on criticism of Hegseth's post, often characterising it as 'vile' or an 'attack'. HuffPost reported that Hegseth has expressed contempt for overweight service members and pushed for change, linking his post to body-shaming. The Independent and The Independent (US) reported Hegseth was accused of 'body shaming' and 'bullying'. Raw Story described the post as a 'vile attack' on high school cadets. Joe.My.God. also reported Hegseth was called out for a 'vile social media post apparently mocking a Canadian youth cadet instructor for being overweight'.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports led with the Pentagon defending Hegseth's post. CTV News, Narcity, Winnipeg Free Press, and Medicine Hat News all used headlines stating the Pentagon was standing behind the controversial social media post. These reports noted the post depicted two young women in uniform with the caption 'this is real' and that it triggered backlash, with some saying it was unfair to target the youth program.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated report from the Times of India stated that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared to mock the appearance of a uniformed woman featured in a Canadian cadet post. The headline included the phrase 'This is real'.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets?
- Of the 11 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 55% are rated left, 36% are rated centre, 9% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 13. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 11 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets biased?
- Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets is one event reported by 13 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Pentagon defends Hegseth's post about Canadian cadets?
- 13 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth post on social media?
- Pete Hegseth posted an image from the Cadet Training Centre in Vernon, B.C., showing two young women in uniform. He captioned the image 'this is real' and included a Canadian flag emoji.
- How did the Pentagon respond to criticism of Hegseth's post?
- Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss stated that Hegseth's social media post 'speaks for itself'. The Pentagon indicated it was standing behind the controversial post.
- What was the reaction from Canadian officials?
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney commented on Hegseth's post, stating that the message was 'beneath their office'. The post also triggered backlash online from various individuals.
Read it at the source
13 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
6- Pentagon defends Hegseth's controversial post about Canadian cadet program (opens The Lethbridge Herald in a new tab)
The Lethbridge Herald — is The Lethbridge Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth under fire after 'vile' attack on high school cadets: 'You absolute lowlife' (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Hegseth accused of ‘body shaming’ cadet youth instructor amid Pentagon exodus (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth accused of ‘body shaming’ cadet youth instructor amid Pentagon exodus (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Scumbag': Pete Hegseth Takes A Shot At Canada By Body-Shaming Woman (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
HuffPost — is HuffPost biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Hegseth Body-Shames Female Canadian Cadet Leader (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
4- Pentagon defends Hegseth's controversial post about Canadian cadet program (opens CTV News in a new tab)
- Pentagon defends Hegseth's controversial post about Canadian cadet program (opens Narcity in a new tab)
- Pentagon defends Hegseth's controversial post about Canadian cadet program (opens Medicine Hat News in a new tab)
Medicine Hat News — is Medicine Hat News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Pentagon defends Hegseth's controversial post about Canadian cadet program (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
1Not rated
2- Donald Trump's Minister of Defence's Abhorrent Attack on a Canadian Soldier (opens parismatch.com in a new tab)
parismatch.com — is parismatch.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Pete Hegseth tried to fat shame these two Canadian military cadets and was gloriously owned into next year and beyond (opens thepoke.com in a new tab)
thepoke.com — is thepoke.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
How did this read?
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