Debate Intensifies Over the Future of Stars and Stripes

WHO:

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes; Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman; Jacqueline Smith, former ombudsman of Stars and Stripes; Lara Korte, reporter for Stars and Stripes; Catherine Giordano, former archivist of Stars and Stripes; General John "Black Jack" Pershing; General George Patton; General Eisenhower; Pete Hegseth.

WHAT:

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Stars and Stripes is a newspaper for the American military, part of the Department of Defense, with an average daily readership of 1.4 million people.

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Pentagon has imposed new restrictions on Stars and Stripes, including a ban on running comics and news from paid wire services like the Associated Press.

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Two members of Stars and Stripes' advisory board have filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department for violating the First Amendment.

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Jacqueline Smith was fired after writing a column critical of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

WHERE:

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Stars and Stripes operates primarily online but also publishes a print version overseas for service members in remote locations.

WHEN:

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Stars and Stripes was first published during the Civil War and was revived in World War I under General John "Black Jack" Pershing.

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - A memo regarding the modernization of Stars and Stripes operations was signed by the deputy secretary of defense in March 2026.

WHY:

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Pentagon aims to modernize Stars and Stripes and refocus its content away from what they term "woke distractions" that they believe affect morale.

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - Jacqueline Smith expressed concern that the Pentagon's restrictions could turn Stars and Stripes into a "public affairs propaganda machine."

HOW:

[09:27 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Pentagon rescinded a federal regulation that directed Stars and Stripes to operate "without news management or censorship."

(UPDATED July 5, 2026 15:19 UTC)

The Pentagon has imposed new restrictions on Stars and Stripes, a newspaper serving the American military with an average daily readership of 1.4 million, including a ban on comics and news from paid wire services like the Associated Press. In response, two members of the advisory board have filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department for violating the First Amendment, while Jacqueline Smith, who was recently fired after criticizing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, has voiced concerns that these changes could turn the publication into a "public affairs propaganda machine." The Pentagon's efforts to modernize Stars and Stripes, which dates back to its Civil War origins and was revived during World War I, aim to refocus its content away from what they describe as "woke distractions" that they believe impact troop morale.