Pentagon Fires Stars and Stripes Leaders Amid Editorial Independence Dispute

The chair of the Stars and Stripes Publisher Advisory Board, Rufus Friday, warned Friday that the Pentagon's firing of senior staff threatens the US military newspaper's editorial independence.

Publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte received separation notices Friday. Slavin stated he and Korte were fired for participating in a CBS News interview where he argued that censorship of Stars and Stripes would be unacceptable. Korte told CBS's Sunday Morning that she works for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon or any administration.

Lederer, who announced his retirement this week, received a separation notice from the Defense Department and told employees he disagreed with the decision. The Pentagon confirmed the firings and stated the three employees have five days to appeal. Neither Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nor the Pentagon commented further on the dismissals. Friday expressed hope that the House Armed Services and Senate Armed Services Committees seek explanations for these actions.

The Pentagon announced plans in January to overhaul Stars and Stripes and eliminate what it called "woke distractions," aiming to return the publication to its "original mission" of reporting for US service members. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X about bringing Stars and Stripes into the 21st century. The Pentagon fired the publication's congressionally mandated ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, in April after she wrote an article critical of Pentagon press restrictions.

Stars and Stripes has been published continuously since World War II and is legally required to maintain editorial independence, despite being partly funded by the Defense Department. General John "Black Jack" Pershing revived the paper in World War I, stating it should speak the thoughts of the New American Army. Slavin stated he stands by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and department policies.

Lederer wrote in his resignation letter that his understanding of the newspaper’s "value and mission" differed "in fundamental ways" from the Pentagon leadership’s plans. The Trump administration has criticized the publication over alleged ideological bias.