The 'Stars and Stripes' - Not Forever (Jan. 2004)
Is the Pentagon trying to kill off its own newspaper, The Stars and Stripes?
That is what a number of outraged newspaper staffers are saying in the wake of an announcement that financial shortfalls will lead to staff layoffs and outsourcing of production and advertising and circulation support over the next two years.
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Its journalists have accompanied U.S. troops into every major conflict from World War I to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following the end of major combat operations last spring, the newspaper opened a bureau in Iraq and has provided steady, comprehensive coverage of the troops there.
And that, furious staffers tell DefenseWatch, is where the trouble began. As the Stripes website announced last October:
"Between June and September, 2003, Stars and Stripes printed 200 letters from troops in the deserts of Iraq and Kuwait and other remote outposts that have led the fight against terrorism. Roughly 60 percent complained about various things, ranging from living conditions and problems with mail to redeployment dates back home. The remaining 40 percent urged the others to get on with their duty."
"With so many voices clamoring for attention, Stripes decided to try to find out what the ground truth was in Iraq. Three teams of reporters were dispatched there to see for themselves what it was like - to talk to as many service members as possible, and have them fill out a questionnaire."
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The disclosure of declining troop morale, one Stripes staffer says, "was a huge embarrassment to the Pentagon."
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Defensewatch_012704_Offley,00.html