The Pentagon is Waging War on Its Own Paper

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Sep 4, 2026

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Max Lederer, publisher of Stars and Stripes, discusses Pentagon pressure on the military paper and threats to its editorial independence. Ken Bensinger, a New York Times investigative reporter, reveals the hidden market paying influencers to promote politicians. Dave Jorgenson, a journalist and short-form video creator, explores transparency, AI ethics, and using humor to fight misinformation. Paul Waldman traces Natalie Harp’s rise in Trump’s orbit.

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ANECDOTE

The Carrier Story That Exposed A Crisis

Stars and Stripes exposed the USS Abraham Lincoln’s 250-day deployment and sailors’ worsening mental health.
Family members trusted reporter Laura Jedeed to investigate conditions commanders might prefer to hide.

ANECDOTE

How Cutting AP Hurt Military Families

The Pentagon’s modernization plan cut wire-service access, including AP reporting useful to overseas military families.
Max Lederer says eliminating translated airport-strike news was cost-cutting that functioned as censorship.

INSIGHT

Why Hiding Bad News Backfires In War

Military secrecy can suppress bad news until leaks force the public to confront reality.
Max Lederer connects Vietnam’s restricted battlefield access with delayed public understanding and weakened accountability.

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Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is demanding what he calls “more patriotic” coverage of his cabinet. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the Pentagon is cracking down on its publication, Stars and Stripes. Plus, an investigation reveals that some online content creators have taken money to endorse politicians.

[01:00] Brooke Gladstone interviews Max Lederer, the publisher of Stars and Stripes, the independent, award-winning military news outlet within the Defense Department, about the Pentagon’s terminations of himself, the editor-in-chief, and the Middle East reporter, and the agency’s continued attacks on the paper’s congressionally mandated editorial independence.

[13:38] Brooke speaks with Paul Waldman, writer of the Substack newsletter, The Cross Section, about how the media attention on Trump’s aide Natalie Harp, also known as “the human printer,” exploded. Plus, how she went from Fox News guest in 2019 to primary shaper of the president’s media consumption.

[27:24] Micah sits down with Ken Bensinger, a New York Times media and politics reporter, to talk about his recent investigation into how hundreds of social media content creators are being paid to boost politicians ahead of elections, and not always disclosing it. Plus, Dave Jorgenson, former video producer at the Washington Post and founder of Local News International, speaks to the necessity of adopting standards around things political endorsements and AI use on social media, and how he’s using short-form videos to combat misinformation on the platforms where it flourishes.