‘No more repurposed DC gossip columns’: Pentagon fires military newspaper Stars and Stripes editor after he called censorship a red line

The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte on Friday. Slavin told the Associated Press the action was for insubordination after the two spoke publicly against any Defense Department interference in the newspaper. Publisher Max Lederer was dismissed as well.

Slavin said he received a notice of separation, as did Lederer and Korte. He stated he was fired “for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line.” Korte took part in the same interview.

Slavin said, “I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies.” Korte posted on X that she was informed the Department of Defense is firing her for insubordination after she told a CBS reporter she works for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon, the administration, or any policy maker.

Pentagon spokesman describes planned shift in newspaper focus after leadership changes

Lederer announced his retirement effective at the end of September a few days before the firings. He had been at Stars and Stripes for three decades and served as publisher since 2007. The Pentagon installed Navy Capt. William Urban as deputy publisher under him without his prior knowledge.

Three Democratic senators wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday asking why Urban had been put in place. Lederer wrote in a staff memo that it had become clear his philosophy of leadership and his understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes differ in fundamental ways from the direction the Department of Defense leadership has for the organization. Reports have also described how Hegseth purged decorated generals from the Pentagon.

Sean Parnell, Hegseth’s spokesman, wrote in January on X, “Stars and Stripes will be custom tailored to our warfighters.” He continued, “It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and ALL THINGS MILITARY. No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints.” The department has sharply curtailed access for the media in other recent actions.

National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called the firing of Slavin “another brazen attempt by the Pentagon to dictate coverage of the military” and said it should be immediately reversed. Schoeff said, “Firing a newspaper editor after he publicly defended his newsroom’s editorial independence is deeply troubling, and it should concern every journalist and every member of the U.S. military who depends on independent reporting.”

The Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman, in April. Urban wrote that he understands he is now part of a team committed to editorially independent journalism that best serves service members, their families, and the greater military community. 

Urban told the Associated Press he cannot comment on what his role will be in the future. He said Stars and Stripes has a strong team of professional journalists focused on the mission of providing military service members and their families the best possible product and that the mission is going to continue.

Urban said all in leadership will continue to advocate for the best possible journalism going forward. He noted he has no formal journalism experience but has served more than 20 years in public affairs and communications. He said he would focus on expanding digital journalism because the service members the paper serves are often young and digital natives.

Urban said, “I think we need to get better on the digital side, to make sure that we are reaching as many service members as we possibly can and having the impact that we should be having.”