Pentagon Moves to Clamp Down on Journalists, Sparking Outrage from Advocacy Groups
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the journalism community, the Pentagon announced on Thursday that it would be taking over the editorial control of Stars and Stripes, an independent newspaper that has been serving as an informational asset for American soldiers since the US Civil War. The Trump administration's decision to seize control of the publication is seen as a brazen attempt to stifle criticism and silence dissenting voices.
The Pentagon claims that its move will "modernize" the paper and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members, but press freedom advocates have roundly condemned the action as an affront to the First Amendment. Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director for PEN America, described the move as a "travesty" that would trample the rights of American troops overseas.
The decision comes on the heels of a previous attempt by the Pentagon to restrict the activities of journalists covering the military, which led to a mass resignation of journalists from the Pentagon press corps. The current administration's anti-press policy has been marked by numerous high-profile attacks on the media, including lawsuits and raids on reporters.
Stars and Stripes, with its iconic photograph of US marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima in 1945, has a long history of reporting from the front lines and holding those in power accountable. The publication's editor in chief, Erik Slavin, vowed that his newspaper would continue to serve its readers "with accurate and balanced coverage" despite the Pentagon's attempts to muzzle it.
The move has sparked outrage among advocacy groups, who warn that it could set a dangerous precedent for the control of news outlets by government agencies. The Freedom of the Press Foundation reported last month that assaults on journalists had almost doubled in 2025 compared to the previous three years combined, and dozens of reporters have been arrested or detained.
As one journalist put it, "This is a chilling example of how far the Trump administration is willing to go to control the narrative. It's a direct attack on the press and our ability to hold those in power accountable."
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the journalism community, the Pentagon announced on Thursday that it would be taking over the editorial control of Stars and Stripes, an independent newspaper that has been serving as an informational asset for American soldiers since the US Civil War. The Trump administration's decision to seize control of the publication is seen as a brazen attempt to stifle criticism and silence dissenting voices.
The Pentagon claims that its move will "modernize" the paper and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members, but press freedom advocates have roundly condemned the action as an affront to the First Amendment. Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director for PEN America, described the move as a "travesty" that would trample the rights of American troops overseas.
The decision comes on the heels of a previous attempt by the Pentagon to restrict the activities of journalists covering the military, which led to a mass resignation of journalists from the Pentagon press corps. The current administration's anti-press policy has been marked by numerous high-profile attacks on the media, including lawsuits and raids on reporters.
Stars and Stripes, with its iconic photograph of US marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima in 1945, has a long history of reporting from the front lines and holding those in power accountable. The publication's editor in chief, Erik Slavin, vowed that his newspaper would continue to serve its readers "with accurate and balanced coverage" despite the Pentagon's attempts to muzzle it.
The move has sparked outrage among advocacy groups, who warn that it could set a dangerous precedent for the control of news outlets by government agencies. The Freedom of the Press Foundation reported last month that assaults on journalists had almost doubled in 2025 compared to the previous three years combined, and dozens of reporters have been arrested or detained.
As one journalist put it, "This is a chilling example of how far the Trump administration is willing to go to control the narrative. It's a direct attack on the press and our ability to hold those in power accountable."
I'm really worried about this move by the Pentagon... what's next? They're already trying to silence journalists, now they wanna take over the only publication that's been serving as an independent voice for soldiers. This is a total slippery slope 
and it's not good for our democracy at all. Press freedom advocates are right on the money when they say this is a travesty. I mean, who gets to decide what information makes it out and what doesn't? It's like they're trying to create a bubble of censorship around the US military. 
The fact that Stars and Stripes has been serving as an informational asset since the Civil War tells you how important journalism is to our society, and now we're seeing this kind of brazen move to take away that freedom... it's just not right 
if they can just control the media then who's gonna hold them accountable? 
this is super bad news for press freedom 
and it's about time ppl speak out against this kinda nonsense 
erik slavin is literally the hero here 
keep telling your story star and stripes 
News outlets need to be held accountable, not controlled by the government. It's a slippery slope and I'm not sure where this is going to lead. 
pensky admin trying to control every outlet is super scary, always been a thorn in their side, gotta keep an eye on this one 
don't want our troops being fed propaganda instead of the truth 
i mean, who wants their gov't to be controlling what people are reading news about? that's like, not democracy at all 
Can you believe this? The Pentagon wants to control the media because... they're afraid someone will fact-check their excuses for going to war? 
They're trying to muzzle the truth, but I think the people are already too smart for that. It's like they say: "You can't control what we don't want to hear." 