WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is ordering the military’s independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, to halt publication by Sept. 30.
Update 9:12 a.m. EDT Sept. 5: President Donald Trump reversed the Pentagon plan to cut funding to the 159-year-old publication late Friday, The New York Times reported.
The United States of America will NOT be cutting funding to @starsandstripes magazine under my watch. It will continue to be a wonderful source of information to our Great Military!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2020
The plan to cut the military’s independent newspaper was first proposed in February, The Times reported. The reversal came hours after news reports of the publication’s demise and reports that the president made disparaging remarks about American troops, The Associated Press reported.
Original report: In a memo obtained by USA Today., the Pentagon has instructed the newspaper to halt publication and present a dissolution plan.
NEW: Trump orders the military's legendary independent newspaper @starsandstripes to stop publishing on Sept. 30. Shutdown plan due by Sept. 15. @USATODAY has the Pentagon memo: https://t.co/BUgBaDEkFo via @usatoday
— Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) September 4, 2020
“The last newspaper publication (in all forms) will be September 30, 2020,” according to a Pentagon memo by Col. Paul Haverstick Jr., obtained by USA Today.
The memo also asks for the newspaper to present a plan on the dissolution by Sept. 15, including its plans for “vacating government owned/leased space worldwide.”
The memo adds that if the paper continues to be funded by either a continuing resolution “or other unforeseen circumstances” then Stars and Stripes must submit a plan by Sept. 15 to shut down at the end of the next budget year, Sept. 30, 2021. Haverstick’s memo says that in that case, the last date for publication of the newspaper will be determined based on budget or other circumstances.
The Pentagon has ordered the military’s independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, to cease publication at the end of the month. This is despite congressional efforts to continue funding the century-old publication. https://t.co/tS6n3i8ql8
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 4, 2020
The order, which also dissolves the organization by the end of January, follows the Pentagon’s move earlier this year to cut the $15.5 million in funding for the paper from the Defense Department budget. And it is a reflection of the Trump administration’s broader animosity for the media and members of the press.
The first newspaper called Stars and Stripes was very briefly produced in 1861 during the Civil War, but the paper began consistent publication during World War I. When the war was over, publication ended, only to restart in 1942 during World War II, providing wartime news written by troops specifically for troops in battle.
Although the paper gets funding from the Defense Department, it is editorially independent and is delivered in print and digitally to troops all over the world.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
