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Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders amid Hegseth pressure campaign
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- The Pentagon has forced out several top staffers at Stars & Stripes, including reporter Lara Korte, publisher Max Lederer, and editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, raising concerns about press freedoms within the US military.
- Lederer cited fundamental differences with the Department of Defense leadership's direction for Stars & Stripes, while Slavin was reportedly fired for "insubordination" after speaking to CBS News about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s control efforts over the publication.
- Stars & Stripes, with a history dating back to the Civil War, is facing growing questions about its editorial independence amid Pentagon pressure and leadership changes.
- Navy Capt. Bill Urban was appointed as military deputy to the publisher to "modernize" the outlet, but his placement has drawn criticism from Democratic senators concerned about the publication's independence.
- Free-speech advocates condemned the firings, highlighting the importance of a free and independent military press and criticizing the Pentagon's actions as un-American censorship.
