The Pentagon has fired the longtime publisher, editor-in-chief, and a reporter from the military newspaper Stars and Stripes over alleged insubordination. Publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte received dismissal notices Friday.
The firings are reportedly linked to an unauthorized appearance by Slavin and Korte on a "CBS Sunday Morning" segment last month, which discussed the Pentagon's efforts to reform the newspaper. Lederer was subsequently dismissed for refusing to terminate Slavin and Korte at the direction of Pentagon leadership, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Slavin stated that his dismissal notice cited his comment in a CBS interview that "censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line" and characterized it as insubordination. He maintained that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as mandated by law and Pentagon policy.
Korte, who joined the paper in 2024, shared on social media that she was informed of her dismissal for insubordination after telling a CBS reporter that she works for Stars and Stripes, "not the Pentagon, not any administration and not any policy maker." She expressed pride in the paper's work, particularly its coverage of the conflict in Iran, and emphasized the importance of an independent press for service members and their families.
Lederer, a 19-year publisher and Army veteran who joined the paper in 1992, had previously announced his intention to retire at the end of September, citing "fundamental" disagreements with Pentagon leadership regarding the newspaper's direction.
The Pentagon initiated a review of Stars and Stripes at the beginning of 2026. In January, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on X the newspaper's return to its "original mission: reporting for our warfighters," with a focus on modernizing operations and refocusing content away from "woke distractions" to support "warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY."
In April, the Pentagon dismissed the Stars and Stripes ombudsman, who had been a vocal critic of the Trump administration's oversight of the publication. The dismissed staffers have been granted five days to appeal their dismissals.
In response to a request for comment, a Pentagon spokesman referred to an open letter to stakeholders from Military Deputy to the Publisher Captain William Urban. The letter, partially shared on X by Parnell, outlines a vision for Stars and Stripes to "do better" for service members by increasing digital impact and maintaining journalistic standards with editorial independence.