Stars and Stripes occupies a rare position in journalism, a newsroom funded by the U.S. government yet protected by law to operate independently. That balance, forged across wars and generations of service members, has long defined the paper’s role. Today, however, renewed scrutiny and policy changes inside the Pentagon have raised questions about how that independence will be maintained in the years ahead.
For Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, the organization’s mission remains clear and rooted in its history. “There are any number of places where troops will find public relations about the military,” he said, explaining why the newsroom’s role is different from official messaging channels. The paper’s origins stretch back to the Civil War, when soldiers themselves began printing it. Over time, that tradition evolved into a formal institution. As Slavin noted, even military leadership historically recognized the need for independence: General Dwight Eisenhower once described it as the soldiers’ newspaper and declared, “Hands off, this is for them.”
That independence, Slavin said, reflects a deeper commitment to democratic values. “If you are willing to actually allow and fund to a certain extent a newspaper that you understand will hold you to account at times,” he said, “I think it’s a really wonderful expression of those values in the First Amendment.”
A system designed to protect independence
One of the mechanisms designed to safeguard that independence is the role of the congressionally authorized ombudsman. Jacqueline Smith, who serves in that position, explained that her responsibilities were established by Congress decades ago.
“It’s a position created by Congress going back to the 1990–91 Defense Authorization Act,” she said, noting that the role reports directly to lawmakers rather than to the Defense Department. “The position reports to Congress, to the House Armed Services Committee specifically.”
Smith’s work involves monitoring the publication and defending the newsroom’s ability to operate freely. “What I do, I monitor the paper for balance, fairness, answer readers’ questions, respond when reporters are having difficulties,” she explained. At times that includes situations where access is restricted by military officials. In those moments, Smith said she reminds officials of the paper’s standing and its reporters’ rights. “I advocate for editorial independence for the newspaper,” she said.
Because the role reports to Congress, Smith’s primary leverage lies there. “The levers are with Congress and particularly the House Armed Services Committee, Senate as well,” she said. By elevating concerns directly to lawmakers, the ombudsman can bring pressure and visibility when access or independence is threatened.
New questions from Washington
The current concerns surrounding Stars and Stripes stem from signals coming out of the Pentagon about potential changes to the organization’s mission. Slavin said the newsroom is still seeking clarity about what those signals mean in practice.
“We would like to know what it is that the Pentagon is looking for when they talk about reporting on all things military,” he said. In his view, the newsroom already covers the full scope of military life. “We’ve been reporting on all things military for a very long time,” he said.
When references to refocusing coverage on “warfighting” surfaced, the newsroom sought answers. “When we saw this memo, of course we were concerned,” Slavin said, adding that outreach to officials produced little explanation. “We reached out and we did not receive a response from the Pentagon as to their intentions.”
Smith echoed that uncertainty. While formal censorship has not occurred, she said recent communications raise questions about how policies could be interpreted or enforced. “The memo and the interim policy speak of Stripes editorial independence,” she said, but added that the details are less reassuring. “When you look at the details and the execution that they want, there is not the editorial independence there.”
At this stage, she emphasized, the line has not yet been crossed. “It hasn’t gotten to the point where DOD is saying, ‘You cannot publish this,’ as far as I know, or ‘You must publish that,’” she said. Still, the situation requires vigilance. “Being realistic — being journalists — anything can happen.”
Reporting from the front lines
While policy debates unfold in Washington, the newsroom itself continues to operate globally, often reporting from areas where conflict is unfolding in real time. Slavin described one recent morning that illustrated the pace and intensity of that work.
“I woke up around four a.m. on February 28th,” he recalled, shortly after military strikes began in Iran. Within minutes he received alarming news from a reporter stationed overseas. “I heard from our Bahrain reporter that missiles were landing not too far from her apartment building.”
The newsroom quickly mobilized. “We got to work very quickly,” Slavin said. A short initial report appeared online within minutes. “We had a story up in about five minutes, just a short three paragraphs, ‘Hey, this is happening.’”
Behind the scenes, reporters across multiple regions collaborated to build a fuller picture of events. “We had about eight to ten journalists in a chat room exchanging what they knew, cobbling together stories,” Slavin said. Within hours, the team had produced several updates covering developments across the region. “Within a few hours we had about five different stories ranging from what was happening in Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, Iran itself.”
That coverage also extended beyond the battlefield. “Of course we were trying to talk with service member families to see how they were being affected,” Slavin said. For the publication’s audience, the human side of military life is just as important as operational updates.
Serving a unique audience
Stars and Stripes serves a readership unlike that of most news organizations. Its core audience includes active-duty service members as well as their families, many of whom live on bases around the world.
“Military bases are not just service members marching,” Slavin said. “They have schools, they have grocery stores, they have everything you’d find in a city.” As a result, coverage must address everyday concerns alongside geopolitical developments. “There are people who are concerned about their children and are they going to school next week when there’s an attack,” he said.
The publication continues to deliver news across multiple platforms, combining digital distribution with a print product that remains essential in some locations. “We do have a digital-first philosophy at this point,” Slavin said, noting that social platforms and other channels help reach younger troops. At the same time, physical newspapers remain important in areas with limited connectivity. “When you have readers who are at really austere bases in the middle of the desert who may only have a spotty commercial internet connection, you need a way to reach them,” he said.
Smith believes that the credibility built over decades of reporting depends on maintaining the paper’s independence. “The troops reading the paper and their families … need to be assured that what they’re reading is independent,” she said. Without that trust, the publication would lose its unique value. “There’s not a message coming from the Pentagon or from the government in any way,” she added.
A broader fight for press freedom
The pressures facing Stars and Stripes, Smith argues, reflect a wider struggle affecting journalism across the country. “What is happening with Stripes right now is not isolated,” she said. “We have seen restrictions on the press.”
In her view, the broader trend involves attempts to shape narratives and control information. “Stripes is part of it,” she said. “It’s part of the overall movement to control the message, control the press. We all have to care about that.”
Slavin expressed similar concerns about the environment facing journalists today. The challenges extend beyond a single newsroom, he said, pointing to industry layoffs and rising hostility toward media institutions. “You have to be concerned at this point when you look at layoffs across the industry, when you look at the pressure that’s being applied,” he said.
Still, he believes the solution remains the same as it has always been. “Having these examples of journalists going out into their communities and reporting news that tells the truth and backs it up with fact and attribution,” Slavin said, “that’s more important than ever.”
For the journalists of Stars and Stripes, that mission continues even amid uncertainty. As Slavin put it, the commitment remains straightforward: “We will continue to provide independent, rigorous, accurate, balanced journalism as long as we are possibly able to do so.”
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