The battle over Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes, the newspaper for the American military published by the Department of Defense, has been embroiled in controversy over its editorial independence and content. Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin expressed surprise at the Pentagon's directive to modernize the paper's operations and refocus its content away from what was deemed "woke distractions." The term "woke" was not explained by Slavin.

The newspaper has maintained editorial independence from the Pentagon, but recently, the Pentagon rescinded a federal regulation that prohibited Stars and Stripes from having news management or censorship. However, a March 2026 memo signed by the deputy secretary of defense placed new restrictions on the paper, prohibiting the publication of comics and news from paid wire services.

This meant that Stars and Stripes faced difficulty in covering breaking news, as it was barred from running news stories from the Associated Press, which had previously been temporarily banned from the Oval Office.

The restrictions on the newspaper have raised concerns about potential editorial control, with two members of the paper's advisory board filing a lawsuit accusing the Defense Department of violating the First Amendment. Former ombudsman Jacqueline Smith wrote a column comparing the situation to when Bill Mauldin's cartoons were banned during World War II. She claimed that her firing was retaliation for her column poking the bear, leading to a lawsuit against her firing.

Despite the controversy, Stars and Stripes has continued to publish stories that interest its readers, including features on military families and entertainment events. However, the paper's editor-in-chief acknowledged the possibility of further restrictions and fears the newspaper might become a propaganda machine for the military.