Stars and Stripes job applicants are asked if they back Trump policies [View all]
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Applicants for positions at the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes are being asked how they would support the presidents policy priorities, raising concerns among some staffers and media watchers about the prospects for the historic outlets editorial independence.
First published during the Civil War and continually published since World War II, Stars and Stripes reports on and for the U.S. military community. While it is partly funded by the Pentagon and its staffers are Defense Department employees, Congress has mandated the publications independence and taken measures to guarantee it.
But in recent months, applicants for positions at the publication which reaches about 1.4 million people a day across its platforms, according to the publisher have been asked: How would you advance the Presidents Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
That question has prompted worries about whether President Donald Trumps administration is seeking to influence the newspapers independence by making an ideological litmus test part of the hiring process, a concern one administration official said was unjustified.
People seeking jobs at military newspaper Stars and Stripes, which Congress guaranteed editorial independence, are being asked how they would advance administration priorities.
Reporting from @liamjscott.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2026-01-14T16:43:18.016Z