Pentagon Plans Active‑Duty–Written Stars and Stripes, Cuts AP/Reuters as It Moves to Scrap Independence Rules
The Pentagon is overhauling Stars and Stripes, saying the paper will be "custom‑tailored to our warfighters" with coverage focused on war‑fighting, weapons systems, fitness and survivability, cutting Associated Press reprints and other Washington‑centric pieces and moving to content written by active‑duty service members — roughly half produced directly by the Defense Department, officials say. The department has published a Federal Register notice to eliminate 1990s directives that govern the paper; publisher Max Lederer says it is unclear what that means for the outlet’s congressionally mandated editorial independence or whether DoD can make the change without congressional authorization.
📌 Key Facts
- The Pentagon announced a plan for Stars and Stripes content to be written by active‑duty service members; a Pentagon spokeswoman (as cited by the Daily Wire) and publisher Max Lederer said roughly half of the outlet’s content would be generated directly by the Defense Department.
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Stars and Stripes will be “custom tailored to our warfighters” and will focus on “war‑fighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and all things military.”
- Parnell said the paper will stop running Associated Press reprints and other what he called “repurposed DC gossip columns.”
- The Defense Department published a Federal Register notice saying it will eliminate 1990s‑era directives that currently govern how Stars and Stripes operates.
- Publisher Max Lederer said it is unclear what eliminating those directives will mean for the paper’s congressionally mandated editorial independence or whether the DoD can rescind those rules without congressional authorization.
- PBS reported the Defense Department framed the changes as an effort to eliminate “woke distractions” from Stars and Stripes.
📊 Relevant Data
In 1989, the Government Accountability Office investigated allegations of censorship, news management, and command influence at Stars and Stripes, finding inherent conflicts between the newspaper's roles as a military unit and a free press, which contributed to the congressional mandate for editorial independence in the 1990s.
Stars and Stripes: Inherent Conflicts Lead to Allegations of Military Censorship — Government Accountability Office
Active-duty enlisted personnel in the U.S. military demonstrate a 1.7 to 1 partisan ratio of Republicans to Democrats, based on a 2023 analysis of political preferences.
Political party and ideological preferences of American enlisted military personnel — University of Texas Libraries Repository
U.S. military recruitment increased by 12.5% in fiscal year 2024 compared to 2023, attributed to factors including higher junior enlisted pay, advertising, bonuses, the number of recruiters, and unemployment rates, with the uptick beginning before the 2024 election.
Navigating a Changing Military Recruitment Environment — RAND Corporation
Between 2013 and 2023, the share of white recruits in the U.S. military declined by 18%, from 56.4% to 44%, amid DEI initiatives, while the overall U.S. population is approximately 59% non-Hispanic White as of 2023.
How DEI Caused a Military Recruitment Crisis — The Wall Street Journal
A 2024 survey of post-9/11 veterans found that 55% do not identify with the two major political parties, 27% identify as Republican, and 19% as Democratic, with 'leaners' included.
IAVA Surveyed Members in Run-up to the General Election. Here Are the Results — Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Stars and Stripes will be 'custom tailored to our warfighters,' focus on 'war‑fighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and all things military,' and stop running Associated Press reprints and 'repurposed DC gossip columns.'
- According to a Pentagon spokeswoman cited by the Daily Wire and confirmed by publisher Max Lederer, the plan is for all Stars and Stripes content to be written by active‑duty service members, with roughly half of the outlet’s content generated directly by the Defense Department.
- The Pentagon published a Federal Register notice stating it will eliminate 1990s‑era directives that govern how Stars and Stripes operates; Lederer says it is unclear what that means for the paper’s congressionally mandated editorial independence or whether DoD can do so without congressional authorization.