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.”

7,481 Comments

  1. Reading this triggered a small but real correction in something I had assumed, and a stop at stashserif extended that corrective effect, content that updates my beliefs through evidence rather than rhetoric is content with intellectual integrity and this site has earned that label consistently across the pieces I have read so far today.

  2. http://doce-studio.fr/
    Doce Studio est une agence specialisee dediee au le public en France, qui met a disposition des solutions sur mesure a ceux qui recherchent des resultats, avec un accent sur la confiance et la transparence. Decouvrez davantage via le lien.

  3. Generally my comment to other readers about new sites is to wait and see but for this one I would jump to recommend now, and a look at salutestitch reinforced that early recommendation, the speed at which a site earns my recommendation is itself a quality signal and this one has earned mine quickly clearly.

  4. Different feel from the algorithmically optimised posts that dominate the topic, and a stop at snaretoga reinforced that human touch, you can tell when a site is being run by someone who reads what they publish versus someone just hitting submit and moving on quickly to the next assignment without checking the result.

  5. Just wanted to drop a quick note saying this was a useful read on a topic I have been circling, no fluff, and a stop at storksnooze added a few extra points that fit the same simple style which makes the whole site feel coherent rather than thrown together by many different writers with different goals.

  6. Will be back, that is the simplest way to say it, and a quick visit to mastlarch reinforced the decision, this site has earned a spot in my regular rotation alongside a few other reliable places I check when I want something genuinely informative without all the usual modern web noise getting in the way.

  7. Started thinking about my own writing differently after reading, and a look at ranchomen continued that reflective effect, content that influences how I work rather than just informing what I know is content with the highest kind of impact and this site has triggered some of that reflective influence today on me.

  8. Closed the laptop after this and let the ideas settle for a few hours, and a stop at studiotrader similarly rewarded reflective time, content that benefits from sitting with rather than racing past is the kind I want more of and the kind that this site appears to consistently produce week after week here.

  9. Glad to have another reliable bookmark for this topic, and a look at duetdrives suggested several more pages I will be marking too, building a personal library of trustworthy resources is one of the actual rewards of careful browsing and this site is earning a place on my permanent shortlist for the topic.

  10. If a friend asked me where to read carefully on the topic I would send them here without hesitation, and a look at vinyltrophy confirmed the recommendation strength, the directness of my recommendation reflects how confident I am in the quality and this site has earned undiluted recommendations from me across multiple recent conversations actually.

  11. A piece that brought a sense of order to a topic I had been finding chaotic, and a look at llamapatio continued that organising effect, content that imposes useful structure on messy subjects is doing genuine intellectual work and this site is providing that organisational function across multiple posts I have read recently here.

  12. Glad I gave this a chance instead of bouncing on the headline, and after sodasalt 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.

  13. Bookmark earned, calendar reminder set, share queued, all from one good post, and a look at molzari did the same, when a single reading session triggers multiple downstream actions you know the content has actually moved me beyond the page and this site is moving me at that higher level reliably.

  14. Pass this along to colleagues if the topic comes up, the framing here is sensible, and a stop at muscatlumen adds more useful angles to share, the kind of content that improves conversations rather than just feeding them is what makes a resource genuinely valuable in professional contexts going forward over time and across project boundaries too.

  15. A slim post with substantial content per word, and a look at draftlake maintained the same density, the content per word ratio is something I track informally and this site scores high on that ratio compared to most sources I read regularly which is a quiet indicator of careful editorial work behind the scenes.

  16. Liked the natural conversational tone throughout, never stiff and never overly casual either, and a stop at siennathrift kept that comfortable middle ground going, finding a tone that respects the reader without becoming distant or overly familiar is harder than it sounds and this site nails that balance consistently across many different pieces.

  17. Started believing the writer knew the topic deeply by about the second paragraph, and a look at solostarlit reinforced that confidence, the speed at which a writer establishes credibility through their writing is a useful quality signal and this writer establishes it quickly and quietly without resorting to credential dropping or self promotion.

  18. During the time spent here I noticed the absence of the usual distractions, and a stop at solidvector extended that distraction free experience, content that does not fight my attention with pop ups and modals and aggressive prompts is content that respects me and this site has clearly chosen the respectful approach throughout.

  19. Felt like I was reading something written by someone who actually thinks about the topic rather than reciting it, and a look at tractshade reinforced that impression, the difference between recited content and considered content is huge and this site clearly belongs to the latter category which I appreciate as a careful reader looking for substance.

  20. http://dsi29.fr/
    L’equipe Dsi29 se presente comme une structure experimentee dediee au le cadre national francais, qui propose des services de qualite a ses clients, en priorisant sur l’excellence du service. Plus d’informations ici.

  21. Now considering writing a longer note about the post somewhere, and a look at shamrockswan added more material for that note, content that prompts me to write rather than just consume is content with generative energy and this site is producing that generative effect for me at a higher rate than most sources.

  22. Now feeling slightly more committed to my own careful reading practices having read this, and a stop at shrinetender reinforced that commitment, content that models the kind of attention it deserves is content that calibrates the reader and this site has clearly raised my own bar for what to bring to good writing today.

  23. Reading this confirmed a small detail I had been uncertain about, and a stop at suburbsurge provided the source for further checking, content that supports verification through citations or links rather than just asserting facts is more trustworthy and this site has clearly built its credibility through that kind of verifiable approach consistently.

  24. Just want to record that this site is entering my regular reading list, and a look at sparkcast confirmed it deserves the spot, my regular reading list is short and well curated and adding to it requires meeting a fairly high quality bar that this site has clearly cleared without much effort apparently.

  25. Top tier post, the kind that makes you want to share the link with friends working in the same area, and a stop at tulipsedan only made me more confident in doing that, this site is one of the better resources I have seen on the topic recently across both new and older posts.

  26. Honest assessment after reading this twice is that it holds up under careful attention, and a look at qalmizo extended that durability across more pages, content that survives a second read without revealing weak spots is rarer than the average reader probably realises and this site clearly cleared that bar.

  27. A piece that did not waste any of its substance on sales or promotion, and a look at solacevelour continued that pure content focus, sites that resist the urge to monetise every paragraph are increasingly rare and this one has clearly made the editorial choice to keep the writing clean from commercial intrusion which I value highly.

  28. A piece that exhibited the kind of patience that good writing requires, and a look at logicllama continued that patient quality, hurried writing is easy to spot and this site reads as having been written without time pressure which produces a different feel than the rushed content that dominates much of the modern blog space.

  29. Felt the post had been written without using a single buzzword, and a look at studiosalute continued that clean vocabulary, content free of jargon and trendy phrases reads better and ages better and this site has clearly committed to a vocabulary that will not feel dated in three years which is impressive editorially.

  30. Really nice to see things explained without overcomplicating the topic, the words flow naturally and stay easy to follow, and a short visit to grovefarms only added to that experience because the same simple approach is used across the rest of the page too without any change in tone.

  31. Really appreciate this kind of writing, no shouting and no clickbait headlines just steady useful content, and a quick look at relqano kept that going, definitely a site I will be returning to whenever I need a sensible take on similar topics in the days ahead and also during slower work weeks.

  32. Really appreciate that the writer did not assume I would read every other related post first, and a look at silovault kept that self contained feel going where each piece can stand alone, accessibility for new readers is a sign of generous editorial thinking and this site has clearly invested in that approach.

  33. Now adding this to a list of sites I want to see flourish, and a stop at draftlog reinforced that wish, the few sites I actively root for are sites that produce the kind of work I want more of in the world and this one has joined that small list based on what I have read so far.

  34. Now wishing I had found this site sooner, and a look at sheentiny extended that mild regret, the calculation of how many years of good content I missed by not finding the right sources earlier is one I try not to make too often but it does come up sometimes when I find sites this good.

  35. Reading this slowly in the morning before opening email, and a stop at mauvepeach extended that protected attention, content that earns the prime morning reading slot before the daily distractions begin is content with elevated status and this site has earned that prime slot consistently in my recent reading habits clearly.

  36. Following a few of the internal links revealed more posts of similar quality, and a stop at muscatneedle added more to that growing pile, sites where internal links lead to more good content rather than to more of the same recycled material are sites with depth and this one has clearly built that depth carefully.

  37. Came across this and immediately thought of a friend who would enjoy it, and a stop at tyrantvolume also reminded me of someone, content that triggers the urge to share is content that has earned my recommendation and this site has earned multiple from me already across different conversations during the week.

  38. Now thinking the topic is more interesting than I had given it credit for, and a stop at shadowtrojan 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.

  39. Refreshing tone compared to the dry corporate posts on similar topics, and a stop at temposofa carried that personality through nicely, you can tell when a real person is behind the writing versus a content team chasing metrics and this site definitely falls into the former category clearly across what I have seen.

  40. Found the rhythm of the prose particularly enjoyable on this read through, and a look at tigerteacup kept that musical quality going across the related pages, sentence rhythm is something most blog writers ignore but it makes a real difference in how content lands with the careful reader who cares.

  41. http://easy-web-provin.fr/
    Easy Web Provin se positionne comme une agence specialisee dediee au le public en France, qui delivre une approche complete a ceux qui valorisent l’efficacite, avec un accent sur la confiance et la transparence. Visitez le site via le lien.

  42. If patience for careful reading is rare these days finding sites that reward it is rarer still, and a stop at voguestrait extended that rare reward, the diminishing returns on shallow content reading have made me more selective about where to spend reading time and this site is meeting the higher selectivity bar consistently.

  43. Now wondering how the writers calibrated the level of detail so well, and a stop at thatchvista continued the same calibration, the right level of detail is one of the harder editorial calls in any piece and this site has clearly developed an instinct for it through what I assume is years of careful practice publicly.

  44. Such writing is increasingly rare and worth supporting through attention, and a stop at loneload extended that supportive attention across more pages, the conscious choice to spend time on sites that produce careful work rather than convenient consumption is itself a small form of patronage and this site is receiving that conscious patronage from me.

  45. Left me wanting to read more rather than feeling burned out, that is a good sign, and a look at simbasienna confirmed there is plenty more here to explore, the kind of writing that builds appetite rather than killing it which is a rare quality on the modern open internet today across most categories of content.

Leave a Reply

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