Pentagon attack on Stars and Stripes is part of Trump’s war on media

The Aug. 21 firing of the publisher, editor and a reporter at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, along with recent restrictions on what the paper can publish, are examples of the Trump administration’s efforts to limit what Americans can learn about government actions.

The firings came soon after Stars and Stripes reported on harsh conditions — including food and water shortages, and malfunctioning plumbing — experienced by sailors deployed since November on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which was participating in President Trump’s war of choice against Iran. The newspaper reported that some sailors were “struggling with exhaustion and declining morale, including reports of suicidal thoughts.”

Trump denied the reports and falsely claimed the carrier was “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of.” He accurately said it was soon heading back to the U.S.   

Following the playbook of foreign dictatorships where freedom of the press doesn’t exist, Trump and his appointees are doing all they can to cover up their many failures and spread propaganda touting their false claims of success.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation has documented a long list of actions Trump and his administration have taken to “defund, defang and silence independent reporting.”

These actions include multibillion-dollar lawsuits Trump has filed against news organizations that reported unflattering stories about him. Other actions include the ending of federal funding of NPR and PBS, the near-dissolution of government broadcaster Voice of America, the ban on journalists Trump dislikes from the White House press pool and threats by the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission........

© The Hill