The Pentagon on Friday fired the publisher and the editor in chief of Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper funded by the Department of Defense that has long enjoyed editorial independence from the government, according to the publication’s outgoing editor in chief.
The Defense Department sent a separation notice to publisher Max Lederer, who announced his retirement this week, telling staff in a parting note he had disagreed with decisions from Pentagon top brass.
Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the publication’s independence has come under threat during the second Trump administration as top Pentagon leaders have derided the newspaper as “woke.”
Erik Slavin, the editor in chief, said he and reporter Lara Korte also received separation notices Friday.
Slavin said he and Korte were fired for participating in a CBS News interview, during which he said censorship of the military newspaper crossed a red line.
“Pentagon public affairs has deemed that insubordination,” Slavin said in an interview.
Lederer and Korte did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Pentagon also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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