Stars and Stripes leaders fired, CBS reports

Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and publisher Max Lederer have been fired, leaders at the US military newspaper told US media on Friday.

Slavin told CBS News he was being fired for “insubordination” after an interview in which he discussed disagreements with the Department of Defense. CBS also reported that Lederer, who had announced his retirement three days earlier, was notified he was being terminated.

Stars and Stripes reporter Lara Korte said on X that the Department of Defense was also firing her for insubordination after she told a CBS reporter that she worked for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon, an administration or a policy maker.

The Pentagon said earlier this year that it wanted to steer Stars and Stripes coverage away from “woke distractions.” The newspaper is partly funded by the Department of Defense but has long maintained editorial independence.

The separation notices came days after Stars and Stripes reported on conditions for crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. AFP reported that the story prompted renewed criticism of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.

Slavin had recently criticised possible editorial interference by the Pentagon. In a CBS Sunday Morning interview, he said a Pentagon-written replacement for an accurate story would be a “red line.”

Lederer announced on Tuesday that he would retire from the paper on September 30. He said his view of Stars and Stripes’ mission differed in fundamental ways from the Pentagon’s plans for the organisation.

Shortly before that announcement, active-duty US Navy Captain William Urban was made military deputy to the publisher, a move interpreted by Democratic lawmakers and others as weakening the publication’s independence.