Overview
- Stars and Stripes reporter Matthew Adams said the outlet was not approved for Thursday’s Pentagon briefing and had to watch remotely.
- The Pentagon press secretary said the room had 60 seats with one per outlet and that Stars and Stripes was among 11 organizations not accommodated.
- Stars and Stripes is funded by the Defense Department but operates under a 1993 directive guaranteeing independence, a point raised by former staff who criticized the exclusion.
- A recent Pentagon memo sets content rules requiring material to be consistent with “good order and discipline,” and editor-in-chief Erik Slavin questioned whether reporters could face legal jeopardy under that standard.
- PEN America said the changes reflect increased Pentagon influence and threaten First Amendment protections, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used the briefing to attack press coverage of the Iran war and the department has recently tightened access for some photographers.