Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief and Middle East reporter
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte on Friday, both of whom had publicly defended the newspaper's editorial independence. Slavin said the notice cited his CBS interview statement that hypothetical censorship would be a personal red line. The firings come as the Trump administration pressures the military newspaper over its coverage of the USS Abraham Lincoln deployment.
Key Facts
- Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, received a notice of separation on Friday, as did Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
- Slavin said the notice stated he was being fired for saying in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line.
- Max Lederer, the newspaper's longtime publisher who had announced retirement at the end of September, also received a termination notice.
- The firings follow Stars and Stripes coverage of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on a record-long deployment since November and where sailors reported suicidal ideation or attempted to jump overboard.
- In January, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department would return Stars and Stripes to its original mission and refocus content away from 'woke distractions'.
Termination Notices
Erik Slavin told The Associated Press on Friday that he received a notice of separation along with Middle East reporter Lara Korte. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the Pentagon had sent notices to the paper's leadership informing them they would be let go. Max Lederer, the longtime publisher who had announced retirement at the end of September, also received a notice. Slavin said the notice cited his CBS interview statement that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line. Lara Korte said on social media that she was fired because she told CBS News she works for Stars and Stripes and not the Pentagon.
Editorial Independence Dispute
Slavin credited the termination notices to the group's decision to speak publicly about efforts to defend the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes. He said he stands by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department's own policies. Stars and Stripes receives funding from the Defense Department but has historically been editorially independent. In his retirement email this week, Lederer wrote that it was clear the Pentagon had a new vision for the newspaper that was different from his own.
USS Lincoln Coverage and Pressure
Stars and Stripes generated headlines in recent weeks with coverage of the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier on a record-long deployment since November. The newspaper profiled cases where sailors on the ship expressed suicidal ideation or attempted to jump overboard. The Trump administration has dismissed such reports as overblown and 'dishonest'. In January, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the department would return Stars and Stripes to its original mission and refocus content away from 'woke distractions that syphon morale'.
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Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief and Middle East reporter
