Restrictions on U.S. Military Newspaper Signal First Amendment Danger for All Media

Pete Hegseth has banned photographers from Pentagon briefings after “unflattering” photos were published earlier this month

This week the Pentagon disinvited the military’s Star & Stripes publication from attending Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s press conference. That may seem like a minor matter as President Donald Trump and Hegseth have issued broad warnings to the U.S. media about what they characterize as “unpatriotic” coverage of the war in Iran. But it signals a turning point for the newspaper, which has been continuously reporting on military matters since World War II.

The move comes after the Pentagon issued a memo to Stars and Stripes in January outlining new restrictions on content in the newspaper, including a requirement to abide by “good order and discipline.” The newspaper is also expected to “modernize its operations” and “refocus its content away from woke distractions that siphon morale.”

“The Pentagon blackballed its own newspaper from covering its own press conference?” wrote Kevin Baron, a Stars & Stripes reporter. “Reminder, Stars & Stripes employees are US Army civilians. Their editorial independence is protected by Congress specifically to prevent political leaders from feeding troops propaganda.”

The censorship of Stars & Stripes follows the Pentagon’s October 2025 issuance of a new policy for all media. Credentialed outlets must agree to a policy that states reporters cannot gather or publish information from the Pentagon that is not specifically authorized, including declassified information and off-the-record conversations.

Most media outlets refused to sign the agreement, leading to ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, Fox News, the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and countless other outlets losing their Pentagon press credentials.

As media outlets continue to cover the escalating war in the Middle East, Hegseth has bemoaned much of the coverage as “fake news,” taking particular aim at CNN last week. “Fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz,” he said during a press conference. “Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

Hegseth is referring to the billionaire chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, in a $111 billion deal. The deal has been the subject of lawsuits and controversy alleging Ellison’s father Larry Ellison, Oracle founder and one of the richest people in the world, and Trump had finessed the deal away from Netflix.

Even Fox News thinks the media is under fire, referencing Hegseth’s characterization of journalists as “unpatriotic” and “anti-Trump” as they ask questions about the war in Iran. Trump, meanwhile, praised FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning about media outlets “correcting course” on their war coverage.

“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” wrote Carr in a post on X. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”

Meanwhile the families of U.S. military members killed in Iran have spoken out against claims from Hegseth that bereaved families urged him to “finish” the job in the Middle East. Hegseth told reporters yesterday that he had spoken with the families of all six service members killed in a refueling tanker crash last week.

“What I heard through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve, was the same from family after family,” said Hegseth. “They said, ‘Finish this. Honor their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done.”

Charles Simmons, father of Ohio Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, who was killed in the crash, denied discussing that with Hegseth. “I can’t speak for the other families,” Simmons told NBC News. “When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about. I didn’t say anything along those lines.”

Stephan Douglas, cousin of Tyler Simmons, one of the three Ohioans killed in the crash, said the conflict was unnecessary in a weekend interview with Columbus news station WCMH. “This could have been prevented,” said Douglas. “We didn’t need to be in this war. This is uncalled for, and this is what we get.”

“Families are suffering right now,” said Bernice Smith, Simmons’ grandmother. “Just to create a war because you want to create a war is not right.”

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

7,501 Comments

  1. http://comcassandre.fr/
    Le projet Comcassandre se positionne comme une agence specialisee dediee au le public en France, qui propose une approche complete a ceux qui recherchent des resultats, en se distinguant par sur les resultats. Plus d’informations sur cette page.

  3. Took something from this I did not expect to find, and a stop at qonzavi added another unexpected useful piece, content that exceeds expectations rather than just meeting them is the kind that builds enthusiasm and earns repeat visits without any explicit ask from the writer or platform behind the work being read.

  4. Felt the post had been written without looking over its shoulder, and a look at tavzoro continued that confident posture, content written for its own sake rather than against imagined critics has a different quality and this site reads as written from a place of confidence rather than defensive justification of every claim.

  5. Found this useful, the points line up well with what I have been thinking about lately, and a stop at elitedawns added some angles I had not considered yet, definitely walking away with more than I came for which is the best outcome from time spent reading online for any kind of topic.

  9. Steam Desktop Authenticator https://sdasteam.com (SDA). It allows you to generate account login codes and automatically confirm trades or item sales on the Community Market without using your smartphone.

  10. A piece that read as if the writer was thinking carefully rather than just typing fluently, and a look at ketojib continued that considered quality, the difference between fluent typing and careful thinking shows up in writing and this site reads as the product of thought rather than just the product of language fluency apparently.

  11. Better than the average post on this subject by some distance, and a look at quincenarrow reinforced that, you can tell within the first paragraph that the writer here actually cares about the topic rather than just covering it for the sake of having something to publish that week or that day.

  12. Now thinking the topic is more interesting than I had given it credit for, and a stop at laurelmallow continued that elevated interest, content that revives my curiosity about subjects I had set aside is doing genuine work in the structure of my interests and this site is providing that revivifying effect today actually.

  13. Reading the writers other posts after this one suggests the quality is consistent rather than peak, and a stop at deanburst confirmed the consistent quality reading, sites that hold the same level across many pieces rather than peaking on a few are sites with sustainable editorial discipline and this one has clearly developed that.

  14. Now feeling something close to gratitude for the fact this site exists, and a look at flareaisle extended that gratitude, the rare site that produces this kind of response is the rare site worth defending in conversations about whether the modern internet is still capable of producing genuinely valuable independent content for serious adults.

  15. Felt like the post had been edited rather than just drafted and published, and a stop at probemound suggested the same care across the site, the difference between edited and unedited content is enormous for the reader and this site has clearly invested in the editing pass that most blogs skip entirely which really does show up.

  17. Picked this for a morning recommendation in our company chat, and a look at embervendor suggested I will mention this site again later, recommending content into a workplace context is a small editorial act that requires confidence in the recommendation and this site is making me confident in those recommendations consistently here too.

  18. Just want to acknowledge that the writing here is doing something right, and a quick visit to cadetgrail confirmed the same standards run across the broader site, recognising good work is something I try to do when I find it because the alternative is silence and silence rewards mediocrity.

  19. Reading this back to back with a similar piece elsewhere made the quality difference obvious, and a stop at platenavy only widened the gap, comparing content side by side is a useful exercise and the gap between this site and average competitors in the space is large enough to be noticeable from the first paragraph.

  22. Liked the way the post balanced confidence and humility, and a stop at moundlong maintained the same balance, knowing when to assert and when to acknowledge uncertainty is a sign of mature thinking and the writers here have clearly developed that calibration through what I assume is years of careful work on their craft.

  23. Started reading without much expectation and ended on a high note, and a look at mallowmorel continued that arc, content that builds rather than peaks early is a sign of a writer who knows how to structure a piece for sustained reader engagement rather than relying on a strong hook to do all the work.

  24. A genuinely unexpected highlight of my reading week, and a look at furlkale extended that pattern, the surprise of finding excellent content rather than the predictable mediocre is one of the few real pleasures of casual web browsing and this site delivered that surprise cleanly today which I really do appreciate.

  28. Worth bookmarking and sharing with anyone interested in the topic, that is my honest take, and a stop at venmizo reinforces that, the kind of generous resource that makes the open web feel worth defending against the constant pressure to retreat into walled gardens and curated feeds today everywhere I look across all my devices.

  33. Started this morning and finished at lunch with a small sense of having spent the time well, and a look at tilvexa extended that satisfaction into the afternoon, content that fits naturally into the rhythm of a working day rather than demanding a dedicated reading block is increasingly the kind I prefer.

  35. Adding this to my list of go to references for the topic, and a stop at musebeats confirmed the rest of the site deserves the same, definitely the kind of resource that earns its place rather than getting forgotten the moment the next interesting article shows up in my feed somewhere else on the web.

  36. Looking for similar voices elsewhere has come up empty in my recent searches, and a stop at quiverllama extended the search frustration, the rare site that does what no other does in quite the same way is precious and this one has clearly developed a particular approach that I have not been able to find duplicates of.

  37. Thank you for being clear and direct, that simple approach saves so much frustration on the reader’s end, and a stop at promparsley only made me more sure of it, the rest of the content seems to follow the same pattern which is a great sign of consistent editorial care behind the scenes.

  38. Reading this in pieces over a coffee break and finding it consistently rewarding, and a stop at modvilo extended that into related material I will return to later, the kind of site that fits naturally into small reading windows without requiring a long uninterrupted block is genuinely useful for how I actually browse.

  39. Definitely a recommend from me, anyone curious about the topic should check this out, and a look at flarefest adds even more reason for that, the depth and quality combine to make this site one I will be pointing people toward whenever similar conversations come up over the months ahead at work or socially.

  41. Glad I gave this a chance instead of bouncing on the headline, and after plazaomega I was certain I had made the right call, snap judgements based on titles miss a lot of good content and this is a reminder to slow down and check things out before scrolling past in a hurry.

  42. Felt the post had been quietly polished rather than aggressively styled, and a look at nolvexa confirmed the same understated polish, sites whose quality reveals itself slowly rather than announcing itself loudly are the kind I trust more deeply because the trust is not based on first impressions of marketing but actual substance.

  46. Looking at this from the perspective of someone tired of generic content the contrast is striking, and a look at lumvanta maintained that distinctive feel, sites with strong editorial identity stand out against the bland background of algorithmic content and this one has clearly developed an identity worth recognising through careful attention.

  47. Reading this in the morning set a good tone for the day, and a quick visit to clippoise kept that good tone going, content can do that sometimes when it hits the right notes and finding sites that consistently strike that tone is something I have learned to recognise and reward with regular visits.

  48. Without overstating it this is a quietly excellent post, and a look at qorlino extended that quiet excellence, content that earns superlatives without demanding them through marketing language is content that has truly earned them through the substance and this site has clearly produced work in that earned excellence category today.

  49. Looking back on this reading session it stands as one of the better ones recently, and a look at ketojuly extended that ranking, the informal ranking of reading sessions against each other is something I do mentally and this session ranks high largely because of this site and a couple of related pages here.

  50. Liked the post enough to read it twice and the second read found new things, and a stop at mountmorel similarly rewarded the second look, content with hidden depths that only reveal themselves on careful rereading is the rare kind that earns lasting respect rather than fleeting first impressions only briefly held.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *