State Dept. orders cancellation of news subscriptions around the world
The State Department has ordered the cancellation of all news subscriptions deemed “non-mission critical,” according to internal email guidance viewed by the Washington Post. The move aligns with the Trump administration’s crackdown on media companies that count the U.S. government as paying customers.
A Feb. 11 memo sent to embassies and consulates in Europe described the mandate as part of an effort to reduce spending. The email read, in part, “Considering this priority, posts are asked to immediately place Stop Work Orders on all non-mission critical contracts/purchase orders for media subscriptions (publications, periodicals, and newspaper subscriptions) that are not academic or professional journals.”
The mandate applies globally, to hundreds of U.S. embassies and consulates, according to a State Department official who spoke with The Post on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. Embassy security teams rely on news coverage to prepare for diplomatic travel in conflict zones. Cancellation of subscriptions - including to local news outlets - could hinder their assessment of threats, the official said.
A State Department spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
A Feb. 14 memo directed procurement teams at embassies and consulates to prioritize the termination of contracts with six news organizations in particular: the Economist, the New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, the Associated Press and Reuters.
State Department personnel were told that they could submit a request to maintain a news subscription but that it “must be done within 1 sentence.” The guidance laid out possible justifications - if the subscription affects the safety of U.S. personnel or facilities, or if it is required by treaty or law, or if it yields an affirmative answer to one of the following questions: “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”
A State Department employee who received the memos, and shared them with The Post, expressed concern that terminating news subscriptions - particularly to local outlets - would deprive embassies and consulates of information necessary to complete their mission. “This will endanger American lives overseas because we are being cut off from news sources that are needed on a daily basis,” said the employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to comment to the press.
On a teleconference the day after the initial memo was sent, employees were given a presentation about the mandate, with one slide saying it was enacted “in support of the administration.”
About a week before the Feb. 11 guidance went out, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the government was canceling subscription contracts with Politico, which had become a target of criticism among allies of the president, including Elon Musk, after users on X called attention to government contracts for Politico Pro subscriptions.
Other wings of the government, including the Agriculture Department, also said they planned to cancel subscriptions to Politico. Employees at the General Services Administration were told to “cancel every single media contract,” according to Axios.
And the Trump administration has attacked the Associated Press - one of the six news outlets tagged for immediate cancellation in the Feb. 14 State Department memo - over the wire service’s decision to continue using the term Gulf of Mexico instead of Trump’s Gulf of America.
Associated Press reporters have been banned from attending White House events since Feb. 12 and were told that they would not be able to travel on Air Force One.