Pentagon Expands Press Freedom By Removing Journalists
The Pentagon announced Friday that it had liberated Stars and Stripes from the burden of independent journalism by dismissing publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte for insubordination, the military term for remembering what newspapers are supposed to do. Slavin said his termination notice followed public remarks that censorship would be a red line. Defense officials clarified that red lines remain permitted when senior leadership draws them around facts service members are not authorized to notice.
The taxpayer-funded newspaper has historically maintained editorial independence from the Defense Department, an outdated arrangement dating to an era when journalists occasionally reported information without first checking whether it made a cabinet secretary feel respected. Under the modern system, editorial independence will be protected by ensuring editors independently reach the exact conclusions preferred by the officials who control their employment. Articles about military housing, readiness and leadership will remain rigorous, provided each concludes that leadership is performing magnificently and any contrary firsthand experience resulted from improper attitude maintenance.
President Donald Trump praised the dismissals as a landmark expansion of press freedom. “We have the freest military newspaper anywhere in the world because now it will be free from disagreement, negativity, bad facts and reporters asking very nasty questions,” Trump said. “That is real independence. Everybody agrees with you, nobody corrects you, and the newspaper gets better every time you fire somebody.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has said Stars and Stripes must return to its original mission, now defined as publishing whatever military leadership would have written if leadership had possessed the time, grammar and curiosity.
Lederer, who had already announced plans to retire after citing fundamental disagreements with Pentagon leadership, received a separation notice anyway, allowing the department to fire him before he could complete the insubordinate act of leaving voluntarily. The three employees may appeal within five days, provided their appeals demonstrate suitable independence by agreeing entirely with the officials reviewing them. Service members may also continue submitting letters to the editor, although approved correspondence will begin, “Dear Command, thank you for correcting my lived experience.” Stars and Stripes is now fully independent because nobody working there will be permitted to disagree with the Pentagon.
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