Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday barred the department’s own Stars and Stripes from attending his most recent press conference, the Daily Beast reports. So far, no reason has been given.
“Stars and Stripes was not approved by the Pentagon to attend this press conference. I will be watching it on a screen instead,” said an X post from Matthew Adams, a journalist at the media outlet.
Stars and Stripes was first published in 1861, and has been continuously available since 1942. It is regarded as credible and editorially independent from its funding source, which provides roughly a third of its operating expenses.
Hegseth’s press conference was held to update the Iran war moves. At the gathering, he raged against what he termed a “dishonest” media that “will stop at nothing” to undermine claims of “progress” in Iran, all while trying to “amplify every cost and call into question every step.”
“Sadly, ['Trump derangement syndrome'] is in their DNA," he said. "They want President Trump to fail.”
Hegseth has previously slammed Stars and Stripes as “woke.” Earlier this month, the Department of Defense issued an eight-page outline revealing what it termed a “modernization” plan for the publication. The guidance called for Stars and Stripes to publish content that displays “good order and discipline,” which is a sentence contained in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the Daily Beast report.
The DOD edict covered all content, including that taken from wire service and syndicated features, as well as comics.
At the time the orders were issued, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast that Stars and Stripes would return “to its original mission” of being “an independent news source for service members stationed overseas that is by the warfighter and for the warfighter.”
The changes included “transition to uniformed staff at locations outside the continental U.S., and other efficiency measures that will eliminate redundancies and ensure smart use of ['Department of War'] resources.”
Parnell added that the new direction ”will evolve [Stars and Stripes] to meet industry trends and changes in how new generations of service members consume media.”
While the Pentagon has not said what Stars and Stripes did to receive its ban, Hegseth has frequently complained about the press during his short tenure. That includes a recent battle over what were deemed “unflattering” photos.
Thursday’s briefing included the news that Hegseth’s department is asking Congress for $200 billion to continue the Iran conflict.