Pentagon fires editor-in-chief and top reporter of 'Stars and Stripes'

The Pentagon has fired the editor-in-chief and publisher of the Stars and Stripes newspaper, citing insubordination. According to Erik Slavin, the editor-in-chief, he was let go for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line. Max Lederer, the publisher since 2007 who had announced his retirement just days prior, was also terminated.

Stars and Stripes reporter Lara Korte was also sacked, posting on social media that she was fired for telling a CBS reporter that she works for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon or any administration. The firings come after the newspaper reported on grim conditions for crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which provoked fresh criticism. The Department of Defense had stated earlier this year that it was seeking to steer Stars and Stripes coverage away from "woke distractions".

The newspaper, which has covered the US military since the Civil War and has a long history of editorial independence, receives funding from the Defense Department. The firings were announced just days after Lederer had announced his retirement, with some sources suggesting that the Pentagon had a new vision for the newspaper that was different from his own.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Japan Times, Jerusalem Post, PBS NewsHour, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.