King, Colleagues Condemn Department of Defense for Politicization of Military Newspaper

January 20, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined several of his Senate colleagues in demanding answers from the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding its recent effortsto politicize the independent newspaper,Stars and Stripes.In aletterto Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Senators raise concerns overrecent reportingthatStars and Stripesjob applicants have been asked to explain how they would advance the Administration’s policy priorities—a clear attempt to overhaul the newspaper’s journalistic objectivity and credibility.
“We write to express our strong and unwavering support for the continued editorial independence ofStars and Stripes, a publication whose credibility rests on its ability to report freely and impartially on matters affecting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces,”the Senators began.“Any diminishing independence ofStars and Stripesis a blow to the public’s legitimate need for information and disrespectful to our military. The paper’s independence is essential to ensuring the American people understand what is happening in our armed forces, and to provide servicemembers with honest, credible reporting rather than filtered or politicized narratives.”
The Senators continued,“Congress has been clear for decades thatStars and Stripesmust be governed by First Amendment principles and insulated from political influence, regardless of which administration is in power. We urge you to immediately clarify that neither hiring practices nor editorial decisions atStars and Stripeswill be conditioned on ideological alignment or policy advocacy, and to reaffirm, publicly and unequivocally, the newspaper’s statutory independence.”
In addition to King, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The full text of the letter can be foundhereand below.
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Dear Secretary Hegseth,
We write to express our strong and unwavering support for the continued editorial independence ofStars and Stripes, a publication whose credibility rests on its ability to report freely and impartially on matters affecting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We are especially concerned about recent media reports thatStars and Stripesjob applicants have been asked to explain how they would advance the President’s policy priorities, as well as recent comments made by the Pentagon’s top public affairs official that the Department plans to “refocus its [the newspaper’s] content away from woke distractions that syphon morale.” These developments represent a troubling departure from the First Amendment principles that have governed the newspaper since its inception in 1861.
Any diminishing independence ofStars and Stripesis a blow to the public’s legitimate need for information and disrespectful to our military. The paper’s independence is essential to ensuring the American people understand what is happening in our armed forces, and to provide servicemembers with honest, credible reporting rather than filtered or politicized narratives.
Congress has been clear for decades thatStars and Stripesmust be governed by First Amendment principles and insulated from political influence, regardless of which administration is in power. We urge you to immediately clarify that neither hiring practices nor editorial decisions atStars and Stripeswill be conditioned on ideological alignment or policy advocacy, and to reaffirm, publicly and unequivocally, the newspaper’s statutory independence.
Sincerely,
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