- Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and publisher Max Lederer.
- Reporter Lara Korte is also dismissed after defending the newspaper’s editorial independence.
- Sackings come amid renewed tensions over Pentagon influence on military newspaper coverage.
The US Department of Defense has fired the editor-in-chief, publisher and a reporter of Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper with a history dating back to the American Civil War.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin confirmed that he was dismissed for “insubordination” after speaking to CBS News about disagreements between the publication and the Pentagon over editorial control.
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Publisher Max Lederer was also terminated despite announcing his retirement only days earlier. Reporter Lara Korte confirmed her dismissal as well, saying she was fired after defending the newspaper’s editorial independence.
The sackings have renewed concerns over the future of editorial freedom at Stars and Stripes, which receives partial funding from the Department of Defense but has traditionally maintained independence in its news coverage.
The Pentagon had earlier indicated that it wanted the publication to move its coverage away from what officials described as “woke distractions.”
The latest dismissals came shortly after Stars and Stripes published a report detailing difficult conditions faced by crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
The report also generated fresh criticism of President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran. The carrier had been deployed before the conflict in the Middle East began in February.
Last month, Slavin publicly pushed back against what he described as attempts by the Pentagon to influence the newspaper’s editorial decisions.
During an interview Sunday Morning, he said one of his red lines would be being instructed to abandon an accurate report and instead publish material prepared by the Pentagon.
Lederer had announced his retirement on Tuesday, with his departure originally scheduled for September 30. He said his decision was influenced by fundamental differences between his understanding of the mission of Stars and Stripes and the Pentagon’s plans for the organisation.
Concerns over the newspaper’s independence have intensified since US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took office in 2025 and became increasingly critical of the media.
The appointment of active-duty US Navy Captain William Urban as military deputy to the publisher shortly before Lederer’s retirement announcement had also sparked concerns among Democratic lawmakers that the newspaper’s editorial independence could be weakened.
The latest dismissals are expected to intensify the debate over the relationship between the Pentagon and military media, particularly the extent to which the US government can influence coverage by publications serving members of the armed forces.
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