Three staff members of Stars and Stripes, a military news outlet, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. The plaintiffs, who received separation notices last week, allege their terminations were an illegal attempt at censorship and a violation of their First Amendment rights. The Department of Defense cited insubordination as the cause for the firings.
Stars and Stripes is a partially taxpayer-funded news organization that covers military operations and personnel. The lawsuit was filed by publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte. Slavin and Korte stated that the alleged insubordination was linked to their participation in a "CBS Sunday Morning" interview in July, where they spoke in defense of the news outlet’s editorial independence.
The legal complaint claims the journalists are facing "imminent retaliation and termination" for their actions as private citizens and for their professional reporting. Specifically, the plaintiffs allege they were targeted for their public support of press freedom and for their coverage concerning conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. The lawsuit argues these actions violate both the U.S. Constitution and the Department of Defense’s own internal regulations and policies.
At the scale of the institution, the case tests the degree of editorial independence for a news outlet that receives federal funding but operates within the Department of Defense (DoD) structure. For the military community, the dispute centers on what information is permitted to be published about internal conditions, such as those reported on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The journalists argue that their removal would set a precedent allowing the government to exert greater control over the content provided to service members.
The separation notices were delivered last week. A federal court will now decide whether to grant the plaintiffs' request to prevent the terminations from proceeding. CBS News reported that it reached out to the Pentagon for comment. The case will move forward in federal court. --- WHO: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, and three Stars and Stripes journalists. WHAT: Federal lawsuit over the termination of three Stars and Stripes journalists. WHEN: Thursday WHERE: Washington WHY: The journalists allege their firing was an illegal act of censorship following their reporting on aircraft carrier conditions and their public defense of editorial independence.