The Department of Defense issued termination notices last week to Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and reporter Lara Korte. In a Monday interview with CBS News, Slavin described his dismissal as a shock and expressed uncertainty regarding the future editorial independence of the military newspaper.
The Pentagon cited insubordination as the reason for the firings. Slavin stated the department specifically pointed to his appearance in a July report on "CBS Sunday Morning," where he discussed a potential overhaul of the publication. During that report, Slavin said he would consider it a "red line" if the military demanded he not publish an accurate story, a comment he later described as a hypothetical reference to opposing censorship.
Stars and Stripes is a military publication that began during the Civil War. While it receives approximately half of its funding from U.S. taxpayers, it has historically operated with editorial independence from the Department of Defense. Earlier this year, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated the department intended to modernize the paper's operations and refocus its content to better serve current service members.
The paper currently operates with an annual budget of $29 million. While readership has declined from historical peaks during World War II and the Vietnam War, U.S. officials report an average daily audience of 1.4 million people. Following the terminations, Navy Capt. William Urban was named military deputy to the publisher. Urban issued an open letter pledging to maintain "the highest quality of editorially independent reporting" while seeking to increase advertising revenue.
The dismissals establish a precedent regarding the limits of public commentary by leadership at taxpayer-funded military media outlets. The event follows a broader shift in Pentagon media relations, including a previous attempt to implement new access rules for journalists that required them to avoid "soliciting" sensitive information. While a judge struck down those specific rules, the military now requires all journalists to be escorted while inside the Pentagon building, a change that impacts dozens of reporters from various news organizations who cover defense issues daily.
The immediate transition involves Navy Capt. William Urban taking a leadership role to oversee modernization efforts. Former publisher Max Lederer had previously announced plans to retire at the end of September, but the recent termination notices moved up the leadership changes. Former reporter Lara Korte noted that the practical application of editorial independence will be tested in the coming weeks and months as the new leadership structure takes full effect.