{
  "id": 2480253,
  "title": "Pentagon fires editor-in-chief and top reporter of 'Stars and Stripes'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/pentagon-fires-editor-in-chief-and-top-reporter-of-stars-and-stripes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-22T02:28:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Le Monde English",
    "slug": "le-monde-english",
    "url": "https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/08/22/pentagon-fires-editor-in-chief-and-top-reporter-of-stars-and-stripes_6756752_4.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.\n\nStars 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\".\n\nThe 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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Pentagon moves to fire publisher and editor of Stars and Stripes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/pentagon-moves-to-fire-publisher-and-editor-of-stars-and-stripes",
        "published": "2026-08-21T18:37:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Pentagon fires publisher and editor of US military news outlet Stars and Stripes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/pentagon-fires-publisher-and-editor-of-us-military-news-outlet-stars",
        "published": "2026-08-21T20:10:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor in chief, publisher, reporter",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/pentagon-fires-stars-and-stripes-editor-in-chief-publisher-reporter",
        "published": "2026-08-21T22:11:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders after they criticise interference",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/pentagon-fires-stars-and-stripes-leaders-after-they-criticise",
        "published": "2026-08-21T22:28:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "Stars and Stripes editor, reporter fired for insubordination after doing CBS interview",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/stars-and-stripes-editor-reporter-fired-for-insubordination-after",
        "published": "2026-08-21T23:42:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Editor of US newspaper Stars and Stripes reportedly fired under Trump",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/editor-of-us-newspaper-stars-and-stripes-reportedly-fired-under-trump",
        "published": "2026-08-21T23:51:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}