Pentagon Fires Stars and Stripes Leadership in Escalating Press Crackdown

The Pentagon on Friday fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper with a storied history of editorial independence, along with a top Middle East reporter and its longtime publisher, in a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to exert control over military media coverage.

Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, Middle East reporter Lara Korte, and publisher Max D. Lederer Jr. all received separation notices for insubordination, according to AP News. Slavin said he was dismissed “for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line.” Korte participated in the same interview.

“I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies,” Slavin said.

A Newspaper With Deep Roots

Stars and Stripes traces its origins to the U.S. Civil War and has been published continuously since World War II, serving U.S. military communities primarily stationed overseas. The outlet reaches approximately 1.4 million readers daily through its online platform and overseas print editions, according to Forbes.

Congress mandated the newspaper’s editorial independence in 1991, creating an ombudsman position to ensure its reporting remained independent from Pentagon leadership. The outlet’s mission statement emphasizes that it is “editorially independent of interference from outside its own editorial chain-of-command” and unique among Defense Department-tied news organizations in being “governed by the principles of the First Amendment.”

Roughly 50-65% of the organization’s budget comes from taxpayers via the Department of Defense, with the remainder from commercial revenue streams like subscriptions and advertisements. Staff members are formally counted as defense department or government employees.

A Pattern of Escalating Tension

The firings represent the culmination of months of growing friction between the Pentagon and the newspaper. In January, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on X that Stars and Stripes would be “custom tailored to our warfighters,” focusing on “warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and ALL THINGS MILITARY,” while eliminating what he called “repurposed DC gossip columns” and Associated Press reprints.

In April, the Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman whose job was specifically intended to safeguard editorial independence. Smith later sued the Pentagon, alleging her termination was retaliatory and violated her First Amendment rights.

Lederer, who had been at Stars and Stripes for three decades and served as publisher since 2007, announced his retirement earlier this week, effective at the end of September. In a staff memo, he wrote that it had “become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”

Days before the firings, the Pentagon installed Navy Capt. William Urban as a new deputy publisher under Lederer without his prior knowledge, prompting three Democratic senators to write to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding an explanation.

The USS Abraham Lincoln Flashpoint

The outlet’s reporting on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier proved to be a critical flashpoint. Stars and Stripes reported on apparent suicide attempts and deteriorating conditions aboard the carrier during a near record-breaking deployment supporting the war in Iran. The carrier was deployed for approximately 260 days. President Trump dismissed concerns about the crew’s conditions, saying the deployment had been “not nearly long enough.”

According to The Guardian, Pentagon officials had reportedly discussed firing Lederer in connection with the Lincoln coverage before his scheduled retirement.

Korte, who has reported extensively on the war with Iran, defended the newspaper’s role following her dismissal. “I consider it a great privilege to live alongside members of the military and share their stories,” she wrote on X. “It’s a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press.”

Broader Pentagon Press Crackdown

The firings come amid a wider campaign by Hegseth’s Pentagon to restrict media access. The Pentagon has not held a press conference since May, despite being involved in a high-profile war in the Middle East. Last year, dozens of journalists surrendered Pentagon credentials rather than agree to new restrictions on their reporting. This summer, the Pentagon declared its press office a classified space, requiring journalists to be accompanied by an escort on Pentagon grounds—a policy being challenged in court.

The administration has also grappled with The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and The New York Times in policy and in the courts, while using the FCC to target broadcast networks.

Reactions and Concerns

National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called the firing of Slavin “another brazen attempt by the Pentagon to dictate coverage of the military” and said it should be immediately reversed.

“Firing a newspaper editor after he publicly defended his newsroom’s editorial independence is deeply troubling, and it should concern every journalist and every member of the U.S. military who depends on independent reporting,” Schoeff said.

Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), called the firings “an ugly, un-American attack on our free press,” according to Newsweek.

“The First Amendment protects freedom of the press for a reason,” Creeley said. “This administration time and again has gone after our independent and free press for reporting that they don’t like, for views that they would rather not hear and for trying to keep the public informed.”

Conservative writer Bill Kristol posted on X: “They lie about the progress of the war. They lie about the conditions of the troops. They suppress independent reporting. Welcome to Trump’s and Hegseth’s military.”

What’s Next

Navy Capt. William Urban, the newly installed military deputy to the publisher, has said he is committed to “editorially independent journalism that best serves our most important customer, which is our service members, their families, and our greater military community.” However, he has no formal journalism experience, citing years in public affairs and communications instead.

Slavin told the BBC he is worried about censorship in the Pentagon, noting that officials are becoming “less and less inclined to speak on the record” despite living “in a time when we really need to hear what’s happening.”

The firings raise fundamental questions about the future of independent military journalism in the United States. As Salon noted, the publication has served troops and their families for generations, and Congress has protected its independence. Whether that protection will hold in the face of an administration determined to reshape the outlet remains an open question.

For service members and their families who depend on Stars and Stripes for independent reporting, the stakes could not be higher. As former ombudsman Jacqueline Smith warned: “This newspaper has a long history of commitment to the military community and to journalistic values. Please don’t let it be controlled by Pentagon brass.”