Pentagon Dismisses Stars and Stripes Leadership

The Pentagon fires editor-in-chief and publisher of Stars and Stripes for insubordination, marking a significant shift in military journalism.

The editor-in-chief of the Stars and Stripes U.S. military newspaper announced on Friday that he was terminated due to insubordination, a decision confirmed by a source familiar with the situation. Erik Slavin stated that the Pentagon had sent notices to the newspaper’s leadership, making it clear that his removal stemmed from comments he made during a CBS interview. In that interview, Slavin described a scenario where hypothetical censorship of news for service members would represent a personal red line.

A source knowledgeable about the proceedings, who requested anonymity, also revealed that Max Lederer, the long-time publisher of Stars and Stripes, was dismissed as well; he was set to retire at the end of September. In an email sent earlier this week announcing his retirement, Lederer expressed concerns that the Pentagon had a new vision for the newspaper differing from his own.

Adding to the controversy, Lara Korte, a journalist who covered the Middle East for the outlet, also announced on social media that she had been let go. She indicated that her termination was linked to her statement on CBS News identifying herself as a reporter for Stars and Stripes rather than the Pentagon.

As of now, the Pentagon has not provided an immediate response to requests for comment regarding these dismissals. Stars and Stripes, which has been disseminating news to U.S. troops globally since World War II, receives funding from the Defense Department but has notably operated with editorial independence throughout its history.

In a recent development, the Pentagon appointed a military deputy to assist the newspaper’s publisher. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell shared insights from an open letter penned by the newly appointed military deputy, emphasizing the intention to improve the newspaper’s impact in a digital world. “We may never be able to have the same impact for our service members digitally that our paper had during World War II in a vastly different media environment, but I also believe that we can do better — that we must do better for our most important constituency, the men and women who make up the U.S. Armed Forces,” said the letter.

During his first administrative term, former President Donald Trump reversed an earlier Pentagon decision to shutter the newspaper entirely. Nonetheless, press freedom advocates have raised concerns regarding broader policy changes during the Trump administration that they argue have curtailed journalists’ access to the Pentagon. This has led to criticisms that such shifts are suppressing freedom of speech within military journalism.