A federal lawsuit seeks to block Pentagon efforts to reshape Stars and Stripes, arguing recent policy changes threaten the editorial independence of the military newspaper that has served troops for generations.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday comes after Defense Department leaders in January announced plans to “modernize” Stars and Stripes and refocus the publication on “reporting for our warfighters,” while moving away from what Pentagon officials called “woke distractions.”
The announcement immediately raised questions about whether the department intended to narrow the scope of coverage at a news organization that has long operated with congressionally-backed editorial independence.
Since then, Pentagon directives have restricted certain content, limited the use of paid wire services, eliminated comics and other syndicated features, and required Stars and Stripes content to be consistent with “good order and discipline.” Stars and Stripes leaders previously told Military.com they had “deep concern” about the future of independent journalism at the publication.
The dispute intensified in April when the Pentagon removed Stars and Stripes Ombudsman Jacqueline Smith, whose position was created by Congress in 1991 to monitor threats to the free flow of news to service members and report concerns to lawmakers. Democratic senators later introduced legislation aimed at protecting the publication’s editorial independence.
Lawsuit Targets Changes to Independence Protections
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by two members of the Stars and Stripes publisher advisory board: Suki Dardarian, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former editor and senior vice president at the Minnesota Star Tribune, and Bill Church, executive editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican.
The plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy group that argues the Pentagon violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it removed longstanding Stars and Stripes regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations without going through a public notice-and-comment process.
The deleted regulation had outlined Stars and Stripes’ operations and independence. The Pentagon has argued the language was unnecessary because it involved internal agency management and did not impose a burden on the public.
Stars and Stripes, which is not a party to the lawsuit, said in a statement to Military.com that its mission remains rooted in independent journalism for the military community.
“Stars and Stripes has a long-standing mission to provide independent journalism to the military community, and that independence is fundamental to our credibility and our purpose,” the publication said.
Our newsroom continues to operate in that spirit while working within the guidance we’ve been given. At the same time, there are still open questions about how that guidance will affect what we are able to provide to our readers over the long term.
The publication added that while it is not a party to the lawsuit, it acknowledges the concerns raised and remains focused on serving service members and their families with “accurate, fact-based reporting wherever they are.”
In a response to questions from Military.com, the Pentagon referred to a statement posted Wednesday on X by chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
Pentagon officials did not directly answer Military.com’s questions about the lawsuit’s allegations, Stars and Stripes‘ editorial independence, or whether additional policy changes are planned.
What the Case Could Mean for Service Members
Stars and Stripes traces its roots to the Civil War and has published continuously since World War II.
Though authorized by the Defense Department and staffed largely by civilian journalists who are federal employees, it has long held a unique role in military journalism as a government-supported news organization protected from direct editorial control.
The lawsuit asks a federal judge to rule the Pentagon’s removal of the regulation unlawful and block later directives that the plaintiffs say increased Defense Department control over the newspaper.
For service members stationed overseas, military families and veterans who rely on Stars and Stripes for independent coverage of the institution they serve, the case could help determine how much editorial distance the publication keeps from the Pentagon officials it covers.
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