Trump Shutting Down 159-Year-Old Stars And Stripes, Newspaper For Troops

TOPLINE

The Pentagon sent a memo ordering Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for American troops that dates back to the Civil War and is funded by Congress, to begin preparations to “dissolve” by September 15, in what amounts to the latest attack by President Trump’s administration on the free press.

KEY FACTS

What to watch for 

Gates said there’s “every reason” to expect that the federal government will operate under 2020’s budget when the fiscal year ends on September 30, and called on Esper to “commit to continuing to fund Stars and Stripes under such a scenario” and Congress to pass a budget that makes “Stars and Stripes’ funding ironclad.”

Chief critic

“As a veteran who has served overseas, I know the value that the Stars and Stripes brings to its readers,” Graham said in a letter to Esper, criticizing the plan to defund Stars and Stripes. 

Tangent

The Pentagon’s move comes after NPR reported this week the Trump administration appointee to Voice of America, Michael Pack, had sought to exert “political influence” over the organization’s news coverage, which is tasked with providing nonpartisan media coverage in countries across the globe. 

Key background 

Stars and Stripes was founded during the Civil War in 1861 by soldiers who set up camp in Missouri only to find there was no newspaper available. Since then, the paper has launched the careers of several famed reporters, and broken big stories. In 2010, the paper won the George Polk Award for its reporting on the public relations firm that the Defense Department used to push reporters to write favorably about the war in Afghanistan. In 2015, Stars and Stripes broke the story that NBC News anchor Brian Williams exaggerated his story about reporting in Iraq. 

Surprising fact

On Thursday, multiple outlets reported Trump had said disparaging comments about veterans in the past, including calling those who died “losers” and “suckers.” Trump denied the report. 

Further reading

Senators call on Pentagon to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes newspaper (The Hill)

The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down for no good reason (USA Today) (opinion)