Pete Hegseth made a regulatory change repealing editorial independence that Stars and Stripes previously had.
Posted by The Lawfare Podcast, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Lawfare PodcastSep 14, 2026
Multiple sources report that the Pentagon under Hegseth removed the federal regulation that had guaranteed Stars and Stripes' editorial independence in January 2026, and an August 2026 instruction narrowed the paper's independence. The main sources are unrated opinion and Newsweek pieces, and the tier1/tier2 wire and PBS reports describe the broader Pentagon overhaul without spelling out the repeal.
What was said
… Stars and Stripes is funded by the Defense Department. It's a publication, um, that is, ah, for members of the military, that is, ah, you know, provide, provides information to members of the military about the military, um, and their, when Trump came into office, there was a regulatory change, um, that Pete Hegsath made, repealing some of the editorial independence that Stars and Stripes previously had. Um, and, uh, while this kind of internal battle over editorial independence was going on, the editor in chief of Stars and Stripes and then also two employees, two reporters for Stars and Stripes, went on CBS News. …
The Lawfare Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. An unrated Stripes opinion piece says that on Jan. 15, 2026, the department shut down the review process for the regulation governing Stars and Stripes and removed the current regulation as "unnecessary."[5]
Supports. Newsweek reports that the federal regulation underpinning Stars and Stripes' independence was withdrawn in January, and that an August 21 Pentagon instruction cancelled the 1993 directive that had governed the paper for three decades.[6]
Supports. The Pentagon's January 2026 announcement, relayed by PBS, said the paper would be changed and no longer include "woke distractions," and a Daily Beast report describes a March 2026 memo imposing new restrictions on the outlet.[4][7]
Context. AP and Reuters report that Hegseth's Pentagon has moved to exert editorial control, including firing the ombudsman and the publisher's planned retirement amid disputes over independence, which fits the claim's broader framing.[1][2]
Context. Raskin and 38 colleagues' April 2026 letter says Hegseth targeted Stars and Stripes' editorial independence through policy changes, but it does not itself describe the specific regulatory repeal.[3]
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Stars and Stripes publisher will retire amid differences with ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Pentagon fires US military newspaper leadershipreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Raskin, Colleagues to Hegseth: Keep Stars and Stripes, Pentagon ...raskin.house.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 4Defense Department says military newspaper Stars and ...pbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Pentagon wants a ‘refocus,’ but Stripes hasn’t wavered from its true missionstripes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Pete Hegseth shattered the 'Stars and Stripes' illusionnewsweek.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Pentagon Pete's Vanity Mission Tightens Grip on Historic Paperthedailybeast.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- A judge allowed the Pentagon to fire Stars and Stripes journalists.True
- The editor-in-chief and two reporters for Stars and Stripes were terminated after giving comments on CBS News regarding editorial independence.Mixed
- Pete Hegseth is removing personnel from the Pentagon.True
- Judge Trevor McFadden declined to prevent the Department of Defense from firing Stars and Stripes journalists and the publication's publisher.True
- Pete Hegseth holds a position within the Department of Defense.True