Stars and Stripes editor Erik Slavin, publisher Max D. Lederer Jr. and reporter Lara Korte fired

Date

Aug 21, 2026

Kind

Press & media

Legal outcome

Unchallenged

Source

stripes.com ↗

Agency or court

Stars and Stripes; Department of Defense

What happened

The Pentagon moved to fire editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max D. Lederer Jr. and Middle East reporter Lara Korte. Slavin said he was dismissed for insubordination after saying in a CBS Sunday Morning segment that censorship of news for service members would be a red line. Lederer, who had announced his retirement days earlier, was fired before his Sept. 30 departure date. The firings follow the April termination of the paper's ombudsman, a role Congress created to safeguard the paper's editorial independence.

Publisher

Stars and Stripes

Full record

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