The Pentagon terminated Stars and Stripes editor‑in‑chief Erik Slavin and publisher Max Lederer, along with reporter Lara Korte, citing insubordination after a CBS interview that criticized Department of Defense interference. The dismissals remove the newspaper’s top civilian leadership and raise questions about the outlet’s statutory editorial independence.
Slavin told CBS Sunday Morning that the Pentagon demanded a “red line” story written by the department, which he refused. He and Lederer received termination notices on Aug 21; Lederer had announced his retirement on Aug 18, to take effect Sept 30. The same day the Pentagon installed Navy Capt. William Urban as military deputy to the publisher, a move critics say erodes independence.
The firings spotlight the Pentagon’s push to steer Stars and Stripes coverage away from what officials label “woke distractions” and toward purely warfighting content. Congressional lawmakers and press‑freedom groups have called the actions a breach of the newspaper’s legal independence, raising the prospect of heightened oversight or legislative action.
Le Monde reports that Lederer’s retirement was effective immediately, while the Straits Times notes a three‑day notice and PBS states the retirement takes effect at the end of September, leaving the exact timing of the leadership transition unclear.