The Pentagon has announced plans to overhaul the independent military newspaper, Stars and Stripes, in an effort to remove what it calls "woke distractions" from its content. The move is seen as a significant shift in the outlet's direction, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's spokesman, Sean Parnell, stating that the department aims to modernize its operations and refocus on reporting news relevant to warfighters.
However, critics argue that this move undermines the newspaper's legacy of editorial independence, which was established by Congress in the 1990s. Stars and Stripes' ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, expressed surprise at Parnell's statement, pointing out that the outlet reports on matters important to service members and their families, not just military hardware or strategy.
The overhaul is part of a broader trend by the Trump administration to impose restrictions on journalists, including attempting to shut down government-funded outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. This move has been met with resistance from many reporters who have left the Pentagon rather than agree to new rules that would give the defense secretary too much control over their reporting.
The Pentagon's decision to overhaul Stars and Stripes comes as the administration continues to push its own agenda, including a loyalty test for job applicants at the newspaper. The move has raised questions about the boundaries between journalism and political loyalty, with many arguing that such tests are inappropriate in a free press.
In an effort to reassure critics that the outlet's commitment to editorial independence remains strong, Parnell stated that Stars and Stripes will focus on warfighting, fitness, lethality, survivability, and all things military, while maintaining its legacy of reporting news important to service members. However, it remains to be seen how this overhaul will play out in practice, and whether the Pentagon's plans will ultimately succeed in removing "woke distractions" from the newspaper's content.
However, critics argue that this move undermines the newspaper's legacy of editorial independence, which was established by Congress in the 1990s. Stars and Stripes' ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, expressed surprise at Parnell's statement, pointing out that the outlet reports on matters important to service members and their families, not just military hardware or strategy.
The overhaul is part of a broader trend by the Trump administration to impose restrictions on journalists, including attempting to shut down government-funded outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. This move has been met with resistance from many reporters who have left the Pentagon rather than agree to new rules that would give the defense secretary too much control over their reporting.
The Pentagon's decision to overhaul Stars and Stripes comes as the administration continues to push its own agenda, including a loyalty test for job applicants at the newspaper. The move has raised questions about the boundaries between journalism and political loyalty, with many arguing that such tests are inappropriate in a free press.
In an effort to reassure critics that the outlet's commitment to editorial independence remains strong, Parnell stated that Stars and Stripes will focus on warfighting, fitness, lethality, survivability, and all things military, while maintaining its legacy of reporting news important to service members. However, it remains to be seen how this overhaul will play out in practice, and whether the Pentagon's plans will ultimately succeed in removing "woke distractions" from the newspaper's content.
it seems like they're trying to take away its independence and just do what the Pentagon wants them to do 
I get that they want to focus on reporting stuff that matters to warfighters, but come on can't we still have some nuance in our reporting? 
And those loyalty tests for job applicants are a total red flag 
it's like they're trying to stifle free speech and creativity. what's next? controlling what kind of content people can share online? 
this is not the way to do journalism, we need more transparency and accountability, not less 
they're basically saying that anything that doesn't fit into their narrow view of military issues isn't newsworthy. it's like, journalism is supposed to be about covering all aspects of life, not just war and hardware. i remember my grandma used to read Stars and Stripes when she was in the army, and she'd always look forward to reading about the people behind the uniform, you know? 
they're basically taking away that human side, which is what makes journalism so important.
it's all about balance and objectivity, you know?
. The Pentagon thinks they can just swoop in and dictate what news is "important" or not? Give me a break. Stars and Stripes has been serving as a voice for the military community for decades, and now they're being told to tone down their reporting on issues that matter to the people they serve 
. The fact that they think this is some kind of "modernization" move just shows how out of touch they are with what real news looks like 
. Limiting coverage to just "warfighting" stuff seems kinda narrow-minded to me 
Let's hope this overhaul doesn't stifle some amazing journalists from doing their thing 
.
[a meme of a person trying to put on a pair of Groucho Marx glasses but ending up with the nose poking out instead]
[gif of a TV screen showing a news report about military hardware, with a red "X" marked through it]
[an image of a broken heart with a caption that says " editorial independence is dead"]
[a meme of a big X symbol overlaid on a picture of the Pentagon, with the words "no more woke distractions" written in bold letters]
[a meme of a calculator adding up numbers, with a caption that says "how much freedom will they take away?"]
? news outlets are supposed to reflect our society, not just military hardware 
no way, the pentagon needs to chill and let actual journalists do their thing, instead of trying to muzzle them like they're reporting on the news from a war zone 
like, don't get me wrong i'm all for accuracy in reporting but can't they just let the journalists do their job without some politics thrown into it? 
this loyalty test thing is straight outta Orwell's worst nightmare...
seems like they're trying to micromanage the whole thing, like they think 1 guy's gonna decide what's 'woke' and what's not... it's like they think the people reading the paper aren't smart enough to figure that out for themselves 
News should be about telling people what's going on in their communities, not just military hardware or whatever.
i mean, i get where they're coming from, want to focus on warfighting stuff, but like, can't they just report news without being all like "no politics allowed"? 
. I get it, the Trump admin is trying to exert more control, but do we really need to be told what's "woke" or not? It's journalism, folks! Let us report on whatever we want, as long as we're keeping our readers informed 
Fitness is cool but we need journalism too! 