Stars And Stripes, Military Publication Since 1861, Ordered Shut Down By Trump Administration
Update:
After widespread outcry, Trump now says that he will not defund and shut down Stars and Stripes,
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
Original story:
Donald Trump’s administration has ordered the offices of the Stars and Stripes, a news service that has served the U.S. military and those associated since 1861, to shut down and vacate all government premises. This news becomes public in the wake of stories that the president disparaged fallen military personnel, and as he attempts to defend it on Twitter.
According to USA Today, the publication has been ordered to have a plan by September 15th for the dissolution of the paper, in online and print forms, with no further publication after September 30, and to present a “specific timeline for vacating government owned/leased space worldwide.”
The timing of the information reverberates around stories that the president disparaged deceased military members, expressing disdain for cemetery visits, and expressed disgust for veterans with amputated limbs. Trump attempted to defend himself on social media, but in the process took time to further disparage John McCain (“I was never a fan”) and then attacker the publication.
I was never a big fan of John McCain, disagreed with him on many things including ridiculous endless wars and the lack of success he had in dealing with the VA and our great Vets, but the lowering of our Nations American Flags, and the first class funeral he was given by our….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2020
….John a loser and swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES. This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2020
The Atlantic Magazine is dying, like most magazines, so they make up a fake story in order to gain some relevance. Story already refuted, but this is what we are up against. Just like the Fake Dossier. You fight and and fight, and then people realize it was a total fraud!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2020
No reason has been given for the dissolution of Stars and Stripes, which military members and family rely upon for news relating to government and defense matters, but the publication has reported freely on government matters, including, in recent days alone, a thorough comparison of what military matters might be like going forward with either presidential candidate, Joe Biden’s promise not to use the National Guard as a political prop, and the aforementioned story of Trump calling war dead “losers” and “suckers.”
Steve Beynon, a veteran who now writes for Stars and Stripes, tweeted Friday to promise that the shutdown of the publication will not be the end of the journalism it is known for.
I read Stars and Stripes on a mountain in Afghanistan when I was a 19 year old aspiring journalist. Now I work there. This doesn’t stop the journalism. I’m juggling 3 future news stories today. https://t.co/z9ZEHWa7mW
— Steve Beynon (@StevenBeynon) September 4, 2020