Mother Jones reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has moved to restrict the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, the century-old, military-funded newspaper. Traditionally protected by Congress to ensure a free press for service members, the publication now faces new oversight measures that critics label as “propaganda-style” control. The article details how the Pentagon is reportedly requiring journalists to submit sensitive stories for political review before publication.
High-ranking officials justify the shift as a means to ensure “mission alignment” during the escalating conflict with Iran. However, free-press advocates and former editors warn that censoring the “internal” news of the armed forces undermines troop morale and transparency, effectively turning a trusted journalistic institution into a government-controlled communications arm. With attacks on the LGBTQ community, book bans, the erasure of histories, and the dismantling of DEI, this seems like one more authoritarian attempt by the Administration to limit freedoms and to limit access to truth or dissent.
