2026-08-25 · contested story
Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders who criticized DOD’s interference
The Pentagon on August 21, 2026, fired three staffers at Stars and Stripes—editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, longtime publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte—citing 'insubordination' after Slavin and Korte gave a CBS 'Sunday Morning' interview defending the military newspaper's editorial independence. Slavin said he was fired for stating that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would 'constitute a red line,' while Korte said she was fired for telling CBS she worked 'for Stars and Stripes—not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker.' The firings followed months of Pentagon efforts to reshape the paper, including the January pledge by spokesman Sean Parnell to refocus content away from 'woke distractions,' the April firing of the ombudsman, and the installation of active-duty Navy Capt. William Urban as deputy publisher. The moves came shortly after Stars and Stripes reported on deteriorating conditions and mental health concerns aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
How each side frames it
left
"Installing an active-duty military officer in an editorial position at the newspaper in the midst of an extremely unpopular overhaul of Pentagon leadership—and an even more unpopular war on Iran—reeks of bias."
"Hegseth has already demonstrated a desire for narrative control over what both civilians and service members know about his leadership."
"To ensure it publishes only news reports in line with the administration's preferred messages, Trump appointees at the Defense Department announced in January that they would commandeer the newspaper."
"At least, that is, it wasn't a propaganda outlet. To ensure it publishes only news reports in line with the administration's preferred messages..."
"Last year, he filled the Pentagon Press Corps with sycophants from the likes of ultraconservative organizations like Turning Point USA shortly after instituting a 'pledge' for Pentagon reporters"
center
"They cited the CBS interview, and they said that I was insubordinate for responding to a hypothetical about censorship, saying that it was a red line"
"In a blow to press freedoms within the US military, the Pentagon has forced out several top staffers at Stars and Stripes, the military publication with a long record of editorial independence."
"When asked Friday by CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes about the reported firings at Stars and Stripes, White House adviser Stephen Miller said he's confident that 'if anybody was fired, it was for just cause.'"
"Roughly half of Stars and Stripes' $29 million annual budget comes from taxpayers, a person familiar with the newspaper's operations said."
"I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department's own policies."
right
"The firings, first reported by CBS News, stem from Slavin and Korte's unauthorized participation in a 'CBS Sunday Morning' segment that aired last month about the Pentagon's efforts to overhaul the paper and Lederer's refusal to fire them at the direction of Pentagon leadership"
"One U.S. official familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital his 'poor job performance' as publisher is the main factor but that 'insubordination pushed it over the edge.'"
"Max has wasted two decades as publisher while the Stars and Stripes languished under his lethargic, lazy leadership"
"The leftist media's recent tempest in a teapot regarding the alleged conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has all the trappings of a pseudo-story"
"the sudden media concern over the well-being of troops and their families may, in fact, be just the latest puzzle piece in a much deeper and well-coordinated campaign to simultaneously strengthen the military-industrial complex's influence on U.S. foreign policy while eroding our military might."
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the Fox News & New York Post
- The Pentagon/Fox 'poor job performance' rationale for Lederer's removal
- The argument that Stars and Stripes staff are DoD employees within the chain of command
The left left out — covered by the NBC News & AP News & stripes.com
- Urban's repeated assurances that editorial independence would be maintained
The right left out — covered by the Newsweek & USA Today & The Hill
- The congressionally mandated 1991 ombudsman role protecting editorial independence
- Press-advocacy condemnations (FIRE, National Press Club, SPJ)
- The Democratic senators' oversight letter
The right left out — covered by the NPR & CNN
- Slavin's and Korte's own verbatim explanation that they were merely restating existing law/policy
The center left out — covered by the RedState & Fox News
- The RedState-style deep-state/Soros conspiracy interpretation
- Detailed anonymous Pentagon criticism of Lederer's competence
What's actually true?
[verified] The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and reporter Lara Korte, citing insubordination.
[verified] Slavin said he was fired for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line.
[verified] About half of Stars and Stripes' funding (roughly $29 million annual budget) comes from the Department of Defense.
[verified] The Pentagon installed active-duty Navy Capt. William Urban as deputy publisher without consulting Lederer.
[verified] In January, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department would refocus Stars and Stripes away from 'woke distractions that syphon morale.'
[verified] The Pentagon fired the newspaper's ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, in April; the role was congressionally established in 1991 to protect editorial independence, and she later sued alleging retaliation.
[verified] Three Democratic senators (Blumenthal, Warren, Shaheen) sent a letter to Hegseth demanding answers about the appointment and independence, with an August 28 deadline.
[verified] The firings followed Stars and Stripes reporting on deteriorating conditions and mental health concerns aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The narrative clash
Whether the firing was for censorship/insubordination or job performance
Left: The Pentagon's public affairs office has charged me with insubordination... I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent
Right: his 'poor job performance' as publisher is the main factor but that 'insubordination pushed it over the edge'
Whether Stars and Stripes is an independent press or a Pentagon-controlled entity
Left: Stars and Stripes is a military newspaper with a generations-old pedigree, which has long described itself as the 'U.S. military's independent news source.' The word 'independent' was—and remains—key.
Right: Stars and Stripes persisted in its campaign to bite the hand that feeds it (paraphrased: framing the paper as a taxpayer-funded DoD organ whose staff owe adherence to leadership)
The legitimacy of the USS Lincoln conditions reporting that preceded firings
Left: the publication reported on crew conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier that have caused concern among veteran and military health experts
Right: The leftist media's recent tempest in a teapot regarding the alleged conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has all the trappings of a pseudo-story
40 sources analyzed
The New Republic CNN HuffPost The Damage Report Al Jazeera Deadline USA Today NBC News The Guardian Military.com CNN The Washington Post NPR stripes.com The Hill CBS News AP News Financial Times WAVY.com DW.com Channel 3000 Yahoo MS NOW Local 3 News TheWrap Newsweek News of the United States - NOTUS WBKB11.com Modern Ghana Arizona Daily Star inkl 10TV AOL.com Morningstar Dispatch Argus Google Search Newser New York Post RedState Fox News