Hegseth's Pentagon Is Trying to Turn a Newspaper for Troops into Propaganda

Politics 15 March 2026
6 minutes ago

Noah Lanard
Reporter

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has come up with a plan to limit the independence of Stars and Stripes, the news publication for members of the US military that has been published continuously since World War II.

Under the new policy, Stars and Stripes, which has historically operated with a large degree of editorial freedom, reports that it will generally be blocked from carrying news stories from wire services like the Associated Press, as well as from publishing comics. It is also being directed to publish material from the Defense Department’s own public affairs offices.

The memo is part of a broader pattern of the Pentagon under Hegseth trying to shape and limit the amount of information the public receives about US military operations. It comes as the Trump administration wages an unpopular war in Iran that has sent oil prices soaring.

The “interim” requirements for Stars and Stripes are included in an eight-page memo that is dated March 9. The news outlet was not notified about the memo. Instead, a staff member at the publication found the memo on DoD’s website. Stars and Stripes reported on Friday that the document was written without any input from the publication.

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https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/hegseth-pentagon-defense-stars-stripes-newspaper-propaganda-restricted/

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Looking like someone is trying to fly under the radar with some more violations of our First Amendment Rights crap.

❤️pants