Stars and Stripes ( newspaper ) Stars and Stripes is an American newspaper that reports on matters affecting the members of the United States Armed Forces . It operates from inside the Department of Defense , but is editorially separate from it , and its First Amendment protection is safeguarded by the United States Congress , to whom an independent ombudsman , who serves the readers ' interests , regularly reports . As well as a website , " Stars and Stripes " publishes four daily print editions for the military service members serving overseas ; these European , Middle Eastern , Japanese , and South Korean editions are also available as free downloads in electronic format , and there are also seven digital editions . The newspaper has its headquarters in Washington , D . C . History . Creation . On November 9 , 1861 , during the American Civil War , soldiers of the 11th , 18th , and 29th Illinois Regiments set up camp in Bloomfield , Missouri . Finding the local newspaper ' s office empty , they decided to print a newspaper about their activities . They called it the " Stars and Stripes " . Today , the Stars & Stripes Museum / Library Association is located in Bloomfield . World War I . During World War I , the staff , roving reporters , and illustrators of the " Stars and Stripes " were veteran reporter or young soldiers who would later become such in the post - war years . Harold Ross , editor of the " Stars and Stripes " , returned home to found " The New Yorker " magazine . Cyrus Baldridge , its art director and principal illustrator , became a major illustrator of books and magazines , as well as a writer , print maker and stage designer . Sports page editor Grantland Rice had a long career in journalism and founded a motion picture studio called Grantland Rice Sportlight . Drama critic Alexander Woollcott ' s essays for " Stars and Stripes " were collected in his book , " The Command Is Forward " ( 1919 ) . The " Stars and Stripes " was then an eight - page weekly which reached a peak of 526 , 000 readers , relying on the improvisational efforts of its staff to get it printed in France and distributed to U . S . troops . World War II . During World War II , the newspaper was printed in dozens of editions in several operating theaters . Again , both newspapermen in uniform and young soldiers , some of whom would later become important journalists , filled the staffs and showed zeal and talent in publishing and delivering the paper on time . Some of the editions were assembled and printed very close to the front in order to get the latest information to the most troops . Also , during the war , the newspaper published the 53 - book series " G . I . Stories " . After Bill Mauldin did his popular " Willie and Joe " cartoons for the WWII " Stars and Stripes " , he returned home to a successful career as an editorial cartoonist and two - time winner of the Pulitzer Prize . Former " Stars and Stripes " staffers also include " 60 Minutes " ’ Andy Rooney and Steve Kroft , songwriter and author Shel Silverstein , comic book illustrator Tom Sutton , author Ralph G . Martin , painter and cartoonist Paul Fontaine , author and television news correspondent Tony Zappone , cartoonist Vernon Grant ( " A Monster Is Loose in Tokyo " ) , Hollywood photographer Phil Stern and the late stock market reporter and host of public television ' s " Wall Street Week " , Louis Rukeyser . A photograph in " Stars and Stripes " loosely inspired the exploits of PFC Jack Agnew in the 1965 novel and the 1967 film , " The Dirty Dozen " . The newspaper has been published continuously in Europe since 1942 and in the Pacific since 1945 . American comic strips have been presented in a 15 - page section , " Stripes ' Sunday Comics " . Current . " Stars and Stripes " is authorized by Congress and the US Department of Defense to produce independent daily military news and information distributed at U . S . military installations in Europe and Mideast and East Asia . It is not distributed within the United States . " Stars and Stripes " newspaper averages 40 – 48 pages each day and is published in tabloid format and online . The newspaper employs civilian reporters , and U . S . military senior non - commissioned officers as reporters , at a number of locations around the world and is read by over 350 , 000 people . " Stars and Stripes " also serves independent military news and information to an online audience of about 400 , 000 unique visitors per month , 60 to 70 percent of whom are located in the United States . In 2009 , " Stars and Stripes " launched the blog " Stripes Central " from the Washington , D . C . , bureau . Content is written by the Washington bureau ' s reporters : Leo Shane III ; Kevin Baron ; Jeff Schogol ; and Megan McCloskey . " Stars and Stripes " is a non - appropriated fund ( NAF ) organization , only partially subsidized by the Department of Defense . A large portion of its operating costs is earned through the sale of advertising and subscriptions . Unique among the many military publications , " Stars and Stripes " operates as a First Amendment newspaper and is part of the newly formed Defense Media Activity . The other entities encompassed by the Defense Media Activity ( the Pentagon Channel and Armed Forces Radio and Television Service , for example ) , are command publications of the Department of Defense ; only Stars and Stripes maintains complete editorial independence . " Stars and Stripes " is in the process of digitizing its historic editions . Newspaper microfilm from 1943 to 1999 is being restored and rendered into searchable format by Heritage Microfilm and integrated into an archives website . Newspaper Archive makes a 50 - year run from 1948 to 1999 available .