The Department of Defense fired the editor-in-chief and a reporter for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes on Friday, citing insubordination. The dismissals followed a public interview in which the journalists spoke against potential Pentagon interference in the publication's editorial independence.
Stars and Stripes is a news organization that receives partial funding from the Department of Defense but has a history of editorial independence. The recent personnel actions occur amid efforts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's administration to exert more control over the outlet, including a directive to eliminate what the department characterized as "woke distractions" and a focus on warfighting and survivability.
Erik Slavin, the fired editor-in-chief, stated he received a notice of separation for comments made during a CBS interview regarding hypothetical censorship. Reporter Lara Korte was also fired after stating in the same interview that she worked for the newspaper rather than the Pentagon or the administration. Max Lederer, the paper's publisher who had recently announced his retirement, was also dismissed.
National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called for the reversals of the firings, characterizing the move as an attempt to dictate military coverage. Conversely, the Pentagon recently installed Navy Capt. William Urban as military deputy to the publisher. Urban, who has a background in public affairs but no formal journalism experience, stated he intends to focus on expanding the outlet's digital reach for service members while advocating for professional journalism.
Readers and service members will notice concrete changes in the content provided by the outlet. According to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the publication will cease printing Associated Press reports and Washington-based political columns, replacing them with content "custom tailored" to weapons systems, fitness, and lethality. These changes follow the April firing of Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman, who was responsible for safeguarding editorial independence, effectively removing the internal oversight mechanism for readers who wish to report bias or interference.
The personnel actions set a precedent for how the Department of Defense manages its funded media entities and interacts with the broader press corps. This development follows other recent restrictions, including a now-overturned policy requiring journalists at the Pentagon to be accompanied by escorts. What happens next depends on the response to a letter from three Democratic senators sent on Thursday questioning the installation of Capt. Urban. While Urban’s future role as head publisher remains unconfirmed, his focus on digital Native service members suggests a shift in how the military distributes information to its personnel starting immediately.