Pentagon Fires the Editor, Publisher and a Middle East Reporter at Stars and Stripes After They Defended the Paper's Independence on CBS

The Pentagon on Aug. 21 moved to fire Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, retiring 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 last month that censorship of news for service members would be a red line. "I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department's own policies," he said. Korte, who appeared in the same segment, called the firings "a shame for the institution and service members."

The paper's editorial independence is set by statute and department policy, so dismissals tied to public statements defending it go to whether the Pentagon can staff its own newspaper according to how favorably it is covered. The firings follow the April termination of the paper's ombudsman, a role Congress created to safeguard that independence, and a March overhaul requiring content consistent with "good order and discipline."

Lederer, who announced his retirement days earlier after more than 30 years, was fired before his Sept. 30 departure date. The Pentagon referred questions to an open letter from the paper's new military deputy.