Three journalists from Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news service, have sued the Department of Defense and the Trump administration in federal court. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that their dismissals were illegal and violated their First Amendment rights to free speech.
The plaintiffs, who include the publication's publisher, editor in chief, and a reporter, claim that the Pentagon terminated them last week. They argue the move was part of extraordinary censorship efforts by the administration.
The staff members allege that their firing was a result of a news report concerning deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, a US aircraft carrier.
In their court filing, the journalists describe Stars and Stripes as the U.S. military’s independent news source since the Civil War. They highlight the outlet's long history of editorial independence and freedom from censorship or management by military command.