Pentagon says it will reorient Stars and Stripes to align with official messaging

The Pentagon said it planned to commandeer Stars and Stripes, the government-funded newspaper that covers the military, and align it with official department messaging. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, wrote on X that the paper would be modernized and “refocus[ed]” away from “woke distractions that syphon morale.” Mr.

Parnell said the paper “will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY,” and added, “No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints.” Stars and Stripes describes itself as the “U.S. military’s independent news source” and says it has been published continuously since World War II; its website sets out core values about following stories and verification.

Pentagon officials declined a request to interview Mr. Parnell and referred questions to his post on X. Max D. Lederer Jr., Stars and Stripes’ publisher, said he learned of the directive only after the announcement. Editor in chief Erik Slavin said he would not have taken the job if the paper were subject to meddling, and the paper’s ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, said losing independence “would really undermine the mission and history of Stripes.” The Daily Wire reported that under the new plan half of the paper’s material would be generated by the Pentagon.

Stripes’ leadership said it has received little formal information about the change: they had no advance notice and no meetings scheduled.

Key Topics

Politics, Pentagon, Sean Parnell, Erik Slavin, Jacqueline Smith, Press Credentials