Pentagon dismisses Stars and Stripes editor, publisher, and reporter over insubordination

Dismissals at Stars and Stripes

The US Department of Defense dismissed editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte from the military newspaper Stars and Stripes on 21 August 2026. The separation notices cited insubordination following public statements defending the publication's editorial independence from military control. Slavin, who has worked at the newspaper for 21 years, stated that he received no formal explanation beyond the charge and was barred from an administrative appeal. Lederer had served as publisher since 2007 and had announced his planned September retirement three days before the firing, citing fundamental differences with Pentagon leadership over the publication's mission. Korte, who covered Middle East military operations from the newspaper's European bureau in Kaiserslautern, Germany, received her termination notice after refusing to align her reporting with official policy.

It's a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press.

Television interviews and editorial independence

The dismissals followed interviews Slavin and Korte gave to CBS Sunday Morning in July 2026. During the broadcast, Slavin rejected editorial interference, stating that substituting verified reporting with material drafted by the Pentagon would constitute an unacceptable red line. Korte told the network that her editorial obligation was solely to Stars and Stripes rather than to any government administration or policymaker. The publication was established in 1861 during the American Civil War and operates with partial Pentagon funding alongside statutory editorial independence. During his first presidential term, Donald Trump intervened to reverse a Pentagon proposal to shut down the publication entirely. The newspaper and its digital outlets reach up to 1.4 million readers, distributing print copies across military bases globally.

Stars and Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters. It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints.

Restructuring and coverage disputes

The leadership removals follow months of institutional friction between defense officials and the editorial staff. In January 2026, defense spokesperson Sean Parnell announced plans to refocus the newspaper on tactical topics, alongside restrictions that prohibited the publication of editorial cartoons. The Pentagon dismissed newspaper ombudsman Jacqueline Smith in April 2026 and later assigned active-duty Navy Captain William Urban as deputy editor without prior notification to Lederer. The newsroom had recently published accounts of difficult living conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which reached over 240 consecutive days at sea during operations in the Middle East. That vessel deployed from San Diego in November 2025 before being rerouted ahead of the military campaign launched against Iran on 28 February 2026.

Media restrictions at the Pentagon

Press access across the Department of Defense has narrowed since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took office in 2025. Spokesperson Joel Valdez barred journalists from entering the Pentagon press office in June 2026, and the department has not conducted an on-the-record press briefing since May 2026. Under rules established in 2025, journalists face the revocation of press credentials if they publish reports on the Department of Defense without prior authorization. Pentagon officials declined to comment publicly on the dismissals of Slavin, Lederer, and Korte. Slavin noted that he is preparing a response to his dismissal, while National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. characterized the action as an effort to suppress independent military reporting.