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Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leadership after media interviews on editorial independence

The Defense Department cited insubordination in terminating three top staff members following public remarks about potential military censorship.

Updated Aug 25, 2026 · 01:17 UTC4 reports

The short version

  • The Defense Department delivered termination notices on August 21 to Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
  • The Pentagon cited insubordination for the firings, which Slavin and Korte attributed to comments they made in a CBS interview asserting the publication's editorial independence.
  • The dismissals follow a series of operational changes by Defense Department leadership aimed at refocusing the paper's content and restricting syndicated wire services.
  • Navy Capt. William Urban was appointed as military deputy to the publisher and pledged to maintain editorially independent reporting while modernizing digital operations.

Key facts

  • The Defense Department issued separation notices citing insubordination to Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, Middle East reporter Lara Korte, and publisher Max Lederer on August 21, 2026.[PBS NewsHour · CBS News · CBS News · CBS News]
  • Slavin and Korte stated their dismissals stemmed from interviews given to CBS Sunday Morning, where Slavin described hypothetical news censorship as a red line and Korte stated she worked for the readers rather than the Pentagon or any administration.[PBS NewsHour · CBS News · CBS News · CBS News]
  • Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell publicly announced earlier in 2026 that the department intended to modernize the publication's operations and eliminate what he termed woke distractions.[PBS NewsHour · CBS News · CBS News · CBS News]
  • A March 2026 Defense Department memorandum prohibited Stars and Stripes from running comics and content from paid wire services such as the Associated Press.[PBS NewsHour · CBS News · CBS News]
  • Former Stars and Stripes ombudsman Jacqueline Smith was fired in April 2026 after publishing a column critical of the military's operational restrictions.[PBS NewsHour · CBS News]
  • Navy Capt. William Urban was named military deputy to the publisher and stated in an open letter that his priorities include maintaining editorially independent reporting and modernizing digital operations.[PBS NewsHour · CBS News]
  • Two members of the newspaper's advisory board and former ombudsman Jacqueline Smith have filed legal actions against the Department of Defense alleging First Amendment violations and improper termination.[CBS News]
  • Stars and Stripes reaches an average of 1.4 million daily readers, with roughly half of its $29 million annual operational budget funded by U.S. taxpayers.[CBS News · CBS News · CBS News]

What remains uncertain

  • It remains unknown whether Navy Capt. William Urban will formally assume the role of chief publisher following Max Lederer's departure.[PBS NewsHour]
  • The long-term impact of the leadership dismissals and operational directives on the newspaper's editorial independence remains unverified as new leadership takes over.[CBS News · CBS News]

Sources