Lawmakers Push To Protect Stars & Stipes From Restrictions

U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) plan to introduce legislation that would block the Pentagon from censoring the independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes, require a civilian publisher, and guarantee the outlet access to certain military events otherwise closed to the general press, according to a report by Semafor’s Max Tani.

The bill directly targets recent Defense Department efforts to tighten control over Stars and Stripes editorial content and operations. It would prohibit censorship of stories except in cases where publication could endanger service members’ lives. The measure aims to restore the newspaper’s traditional independence after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth moved to impose broader restrictions on journalists’ access to the Pentagon.

Stars and Stripes, which operates within the Department of Defense but has long maintained editorial independence, serves U.S. troops and their families worldwide. The senators’ proposal seeks to codify protections that prevent the Pentagon from treating the paper as a standard internal communications tool.

The Pentagon has defended its changes, stating that adjustments to Stars and Stripes’ editorial direction are intended to eliminate “woke distractions” and do not constitute interference with the paper’s journalistic independence. Hegseth’s broader push has included sweeping limits on media access across the department.

This legislative effort represents the latest Democratic strategy to counter the Trump administration’s policies on military media oversight. Details of the bill’s timing and additional co-sponsors were not immediately available.