The Pentagon fired two senior figures at Stars and Stripes on Friday, just days after they publicly defended the military newspaper’s editorial independence amid growing tensions with Defense Department leadership.
Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte received separation notices, Slavin said. Longtime publisher Max Lederer, who had already announced plans to retire following clashes with Pentagon leadership, also received a notice.
Slavin said he and Korte were fired because they participated in an interview with CBS News’ “Sunday Morning,” where they discussed the increasingly strained relationship between Stars and Stripes and the Defense Department.
During the CBS interview, Korte stressed that her responsibility was to the newspaper and the military community rather than Pentagon officials or any administration.
“I am working for Stars and Stripes. Not for the Pentagon. Not for any administration. Not for any policymaker. I am here to cover the military community,” Korte said.
Following his dismissal, Slavin told The Washington Post that he continued to support the publication’s editorial independence.
“I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes should remain independent for service members,” Slavin said.
Korte called the firings “a shame for the institution and service members,” arguing that military personnel who swore to defend the Constitution deserve access to “a free and independent press.”
The Pentagon confirmed the firings to the Post and said all three employees would have five days to appeal their dismissals.
The shakeup comes amid increased scrutiny surrounding the future of Stars and Stripes, which receives funding from the Defense Department but has traditionally maintained editorial independence from the military chain of command.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon appointed active-duty Navy Capt. William Urban, a public affairs officer, as Lederer’s deputy without consulting the publisher, according to the chairman of the newspaper’s advisory board.
Lederer announced Thursday that he would leave Stars and Stripes after more than three decades, saying his approach to the newspaper had become incompatible with Pentagon leadership.
“It has become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization,” Lederer wrote.
Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire had already demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding Urban’s appointment.
The senators warned that putting an active-duty public affairs officer in a senior management role raised “serious questions” about the newspaper’s independence.
The dispute follows a broader Pentagon effort earlier this year to overhaul Stars and Stripes, with officials pledging to eliminate what they called “woke distractions.”
Stars and Stripes ombudsman Jacqueline Smith was also fired in April. She later sued the Pentagon, alleging that her dismissal was retaliation for criticizing efforts to influence the newspaper’s editorial content.
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