Pentagon fires 3 employees from Stars and Stripes after CBS News interview

The Pentagon has fired three employees from the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. The publisher, editor-in-chief, and a reporter received separation notices. According to CBS News, the firings came after the three gave comments for a CBS Sunday Morning piece.

The fired employees include Publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte. Lederer had announced his retirement, but disagreed with the Pentagon's decision. Slavin said he and Korte were fired for participating in the CBS News interview, in which they argued for the newspaper's editorial independence.

The chair of the Stars and Stripes Publisher Advisory Board, Rufus Friday, expressed concern that the firings threaten the newspaper's editorial independence, which is essential to its credibility and ability to serve the military community. He called on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to seek explanations for the actions.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Jerusalem Post — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.