Warren, Blumenthal, Gallego, Duckworth, Hirono, Kelly Slam Pentagon’s Restrictions on Editorial Independence of Stars and Stripes, Call for Department to Reverse Policies that[...]

Warren, Blumenthal, Gallego, Duckworth, Hirono, Kelly Slam Pentagon's Restrictions on Editorial Independence of Stars and Stripes, Call for Department to Reverse Policies that Violate Press Freedom

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) denounced the Department of Defense's (DoD) restrictions imposed on Stars and Stripes, the military's editorially independent newspaper.

"DoD's new policy threatens the credibility of Stars and Stripes, and the reliable flow of unbiased news to service members…We urge you to immediately rescind DoD's new policy and restore editorial independence guaranteed by the First Amendment to Stars and Stripes," wrote the senators.

In March, DoD issued a memo giving DoD political appointees more authority over Stars and Stripes, placing new restrictions on its reporters and the paper's independent ombudsman, and limiting civilian editors from publishing wire service stories unless "approved by" a DoD political appointee, even for sports and coverage of war zone areas. DoD's memo imposes new rules on Stars and Stripes, including calling for the reprint of DoD official statements in the paper, restricting journalists' ability to conduct investigative journalism, and limiting access to DoD sources.

"These changes are in direct conflict with decades of Congressional reforms that addressed previous eras of censorship at the paper," continued the senators.

DoD has attempted to place restrictions on dozens of media organizations across the political spectrum, and those policies were found unconstitutional for violating bedrock First Amendment protections and engaging in viewpoint discrimination.

Stars and Stripes has a decades-long history of independent journalism. DoD formally codified many of Congress's recommendations to protect Stars and Stripes in 1994, including the appointment of a civilian editor in chief and the insulation of editorial decision-making from DoD officials.

"The mission of Stars and Stripes to provide 'independent news and information to the U.S. military community' is more important now than ever as tens of thousands of service members are deployed to the Middle East," wrote the senators.

In times of war and limited access to media, Stars and Stripes is distributed freely to deployed troops, a service the senators called "a vital, independent link that keeps service members informed about the government and country for which they put their lives on the line."

"DoD should immediately rescind restrictions on Stars and Stripes (and) restore the DoD policies that guaranteed the paper's editorial independence to be governed by First Amendment principles," concluded the senators.

The lawmakers asked DoD to explain, by April 22, 2026, the decision to limit Stars and Stripes' editorial independence, which of Stars and Stripes' past articles have violated DoD rules, and the extent of the involvement of DoD political appointees in editorial decision-making at the paper.

In January, DoD rescinded editorial protections that have stood for over 30 years. The senators spoke out in support of the newspaper and urged DoD to reverse course and instead protect its editorial independence in line with the First Amendment.

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