After the Abraham Lincoln report… Pentagon-affiliated newspaper officials dismissed
The Pentagon dismissed the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, the newspaper covering the U.S. military, on Friday, along with its publisher.
In an interview with CBS News, Eric Slavin, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, said he was removed from his position for “insubordination,” pointing to disagreements with the Department of Defense.
The department had stated earlier this year that it was seeking to influence the editorial coverage of Stars and Stripes.
CBS also reported that Max Lederer, who had served as the newspaper’s publisher since 2007 and had announced his retirement just three days earlier, was also informed that his employment was being terminated.
The newspaper’s correspondent, Lara Korte, also announced on the X platform that she had been dismissed. In a post, she said: “I was informed today that the Department of Defense fired me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes, not for the Pentagon (…) or for any administration or policymaker.”
The dismissal notices came only a few days after the newspaper, which receives partial funding from the Department of Defense while maintaining its editorial independence, published a report on the harsh conditions faced by the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
The report triggered a new wave of criticism of President Donald Trump’s policy toward Iran.
The Lincoln aircraft carrier had been deployed to the Middle East before the war with Iran began in February. Last week, U.S. Central Command announced that it would be replaced by the aircraft carrier George Washington.
Slavin had already sparked controversy last month when he pushed back against attempts by the Pentagon to interfere in the newspaper’s editorial affairs.
Lederer, the newspaper’s publisher, announced his retirement on Tuesday, with the decision set to take effect on September 30.
Lederer chose to step down after recognizing that his leadership philosophy and his “understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes” differed “in fundamental ways” from the plans being developed by the Pentagon for the newspaper.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has strongly criticized the media since taking charge of the Department of Defense in 2025, while the independence of Stars and Stripes and other military media outlets has increasingly come under threat.
Shortly before Lederer announced his retirement, U.S. Navy Captain William Urban, an active-duty officer, was appointed military deputy to the publisher, a move that many, including Democratic members of Congress, viewed as undermining the newspaper’s independence.
