Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leadership over editorial independence

The Pentagon fired the top leadership and a reporter at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes on Friday, August 21, 2026, citing insubordination in connection with their public comments about editorial independence. The dismissed employees are publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, all of whom received separation notices with five days to appeal.

The terminations stem from Slavin and Korte's participation in a CBS Sunday Morning segment that aired in July 2026. In the interview, Slavin stated that a hypothetical scenario where the Pentagon dictated news content would be a "red line," and Korte emphasized that she works for Stars and Stripes, "not the Pentagon, not for any administration." According to the dismissal notice, Slavin was fired for making that statement, which the Pentagon's public affairs office charged as insubordination. "I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department's own policies," Slavin said in a statement.

Korte also connected her firing to the interview, writing on social media that she was dismissed after telling a CBS...