Pentagon Bars Military Publication as Stars and Stripes Editor Is Fired, Escalating Tensions With Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a sharp escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing clashes with the press, the Pentagon has banned a major military news outlet from coverage and abruptly fired the editor‑in‑chief of Stars and Stripes , the congressionally funded newspaper that has served service members since the Civil War. Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, dismissed Stars and Stripes editor‑in‑chief on Friday, according to multiple defense officials familiar with the decision. The firing came hours after the publication was barred from attending briefings and accessing routine military information, a move press‑freedom advocates say is unprecedented in modern Pentagon history. The Pentagon has not publicly detailed the reason for the ban, but officials inside the department say senior leaders were angered by recent reporting that scrutinized military spending, internal morale issues, and political influence on defense policy. The decision effectively cuts off one of the few i...