A reporter said she was fired by the Department of Defense for saying she works for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon.
In a Friday post on X, journalist Lara Korte, who covered the Middle East for the Stars and Stripes, announced her firing and denounced the Pentagon’s treatment of the military paper, which has faced increasing pressure from the Trump administration’s DoD.
“Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination,” Korte wrote. “I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker.”
The post prompted swift outrage from critics of the Trump administration who sympathized with Korte and the Stars and Stripes.
“Outrageous and sad,” wrote George Conway, Kellyanne Conway’s ex-husband turned Democratic congressional candidate. “Decades have been devoted to building up the credibility of this publication to earn the trust of everyone in uniform—credibility and trust now being summarily destroyed by narcissistic and ignorant hacks like [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth.”
“Being fired by Pete Hegseth is a badge of honor,” applauded veteran political analyst Bill Kristol.
“Thank you for your service,” commended political blogger and Kash Patel foe Jim Stewartson.
“Lara is a great reporter and a person of integrity,” senior Politico reporter Jeremy White praised. “You should hire her, and more broadly, support journalists having the independence they need to hold the powerful to account.”
Korte added, “I consider it a great privilege to live alongside members of the military and share their stories,” and blasted the Pentagon, saying “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.”
Reports came out on Friday that the Pentagon fired the paper’s publisher before he could retire next month, along with the editor-in-chief. Earlier this year, the Trump administration fired Jaqueline Smith, the ombudsman of the Stars and Stripes, which prompted her to warn that “there’s a very real threat” facing the Pentagon’s paper of record.
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