S. 4614

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4614 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4614

To protect the editorial independence of the Stars and Stripes news 
organization.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 20, 2026

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed 
Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To protect the editorial independence of the Stars and Stripes news 
organization.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Stars and Stripes Editorial 
Independence Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Stars and Stripes has reported on issues unique to 
members of the United States Armed Forces, particularly those 
serving abroad, dating back to the Civil War.
(2) Stars and Stripes remains editorially independent of 
interference or censorship from outside its own editorial chain 
of command.
(3) A free and independent press is a cornerstone of 
democratic governance and is essential to transparency, 
accountability, and informed public decisionmaking.
(4) Congress has historically recognized Stars and Stripes 
as an independent journalistic organization serving members of 
the Armed Forces and their families overseas.
(5) Stars and Stripes provides unique and sustained 
coverage of issues affecting servicemember and veterans' 
quality of life, including housing, health care, pay and 
benefits, family readiness, training conditions, and the long-
term impacts of military service.
(6) Such reporting elevates concerns and experiences that 
may otherwise receive limited attention, enabling policymakers 
and the public to better understand the lived realities of 
members of the Armed Forces and their families.
(7) Independent war reporting and coverage of military 
operations demonstrate transparency and accountability to the 
American public regarding the human, strategic, and financial 
costs of armed conflict.
(8) Transparent reporting on military operations and 
conflicts strengthens public trust by ensuring that decisions 
made in the name of national security are subject to informed 
public awareness and debate.
(9) Maintaining a clear separation between Department of 
Defense public affairs activities and Stars and Stripes 
editorial operations is necessary to preserve confidence among 
servicemembers and military families in the accuracy and 
independence of reporting provided by Stars and Stripes.
(10) The ability of defense journalists to operate without 
censorship, undue influence, or retaliation is essential to 
maintaining credibility, accuracy, and public trust.
(11) Protecting press freedom within the defense sector 
strengthens national security by promoting accountability, 
identifying inefficiencies or misconduct, and ensuring informed 
debate on defense policy.
(12) Members of the Armed Forces, Department of Defense 
civilian employees, and their families stationed overseas, 
including in combat zones and other remote locations, often 
rely upon Stars and Stripes as a primary source of independent 
English-language news and information.
(13) Members of the Armed Forces, Department of Defense 
civilian employees, and their families operate in information 
environments that are frequent targets of foreign adversary 
influence operations, including disinformation, propaganda, and 
coordinated inauthentic behavior.
(14) Independent oversight and internal editorial review 
mechanisms, including the Stars and Stripes Ombudsman, support 
accountability and journalistic integrity.
(15) Congressional oversight is necessary to ensure that 
Stars and Stripes is not subjected to censorship, ideological 
influence, or political direction.

SEC. 3. INDEPENDENCE OF STARS AND STRIPES.

(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to codify the 
requirements related to the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes 
provided for in section 4.2 of Department of Defense Directive (DODD) 
5122.11, dated October 11, 1993, and section 246.4(b) of title 32, Code 
of Federal Regulations.
(b) Editorial Independence Requirement.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
that--
(A) editorial policies and practices of Stars and 
Stripes are in accordance with journalistic standards 
governing United States news media of the highest 
quality, with emphasis on matters of interest to the 
Stars and Stripes readership;
(B) Stars and Stripes' editorial operations are 
independent of the military chain of command, military 
public affairs activities, or other external 
influences, and without censorship or propaganda;
(C) the Stars and Stripes publisher remains a 
civilian government employee with independent 
professional news media experience, who manages and 
controls the day-to-day business and financial, 
operational, and administrative activities, and 
provides editorial oversight of Stars and Stripes;
(D) Stars and Stripes' reporters with access to 
Department of Defense installations are authorized to 
cover events or activities open to those with 
installation access, even though commercial news media 
may not have the same unescorted access;
(E) Stars and Stripes is a digital-first news 
organization, but is also published in a print 
newspaper edition at a frequency and distribution 
determined by the publisher to best serve its 
readership; and
(F) except as provided in paragraph (3), Stars and 
Stripes provides a free flow of news and information to 
its readership without news management or censorship 
from the Secretary of Defense or the Department of 
Defense.
(2) Prohibition on withholding of unfavorable news.--The 
calculated withholding from publication in Stars and Stripes of 
news unfavorable to the Department of Defense, the military 
services, or the United States Government is prohibited.
(3) Exceptions.--
(A) In general.--Notwithstanding the requirement 
under paragraph (1), Stars and Stripes shall not 
publish original staff-produced news stories based upon 
classified information or publish information that 
clearly endangers the lives of United States personnel 
or would adversely affect national security.
(B) Limitation.--The exceptions under subparagraph 
(A) may not be construed to permit the calculated 
withholding of news unfavorable to the Department of 
Defense, the military services, or the United States 
Government. Any security risk information shall not be 
withheld without concurrence from both the Stars and 
Stripes publisher and the relevant combatant commander.
(4) Stars and stripes personnel.--The exclusion of civilian 
candidates for consideration for officer, journalist, or other 
Stars and Stripes staff positions is prohibited.
(c) News Contracting.--Stars and Stripes shall not be prohibited 
from purchasing, contracting for, or publishing news stories, features, 
syndicated columns, comic strips, and editorial cartoons from 
commercial news media services or sources.
<all>