Washington, D.C. – The Pentagon announced last week that the department intends to take over Stars and Stripes.
We call on the Department of Defense and Congress to stand for press freedom. We cannot allow a paper that started in the Civil War and has been published continually since World War II to be reduced to just another memo from the brass.
The Daily Wire reports that much of the content will now be written by active duty members of the military. And while journalists and the public have reason to admire the hard and sometimes dangerous work of public affairs professionals and Combat Camera, American troops deserve more than stories that must pass through layers of command before reaching their barracks.
American troops are savvy and they deserve an independent voice that speaks for them and their concerns. Even though Stars and Stripes is run through the Defense Department, Congress specifically mandates that the paper remain editorially independent.
Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, in a note to Stars and Stripes’ editorial staff across the globe Thursday, may have said it best: “The people who risk their lives in defense of the Constitution have earned the right to the press freedoms of the First Amendment. We will not compromise on serving them with accurate and balanced coverage, holding military officials to account when called for.”
Military Reporters and Editors agrees that this is the level of commitment that the men and women of the military deserve. Our members stand with them.
MRE | Military Reporters & Editors Mission
- Advance the public understanding of the military, national security, and homeland defense.
- Represent the interests of working journalists to the government and military.
- Assure journalists have access to places where the U.S. military and its allies operate.
- Provide resources, support. educational and networking opportunities for members, fostering excellence in journalism.
For more information, visit the MRE website at https://www.militaryreporters.org.