Stars and Stripes editor just fired by Pentagon speaks to OutFront
(CNN) — In a blow to press freedoms within the US military, the Pentagon has forced out several top staffers at Stars and Stripes, the military publication with a long record of editorial independence.
Journalism advocacy groups decried the firings and criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for trying to manipulate independent news coverage of the military.
Reporter Lara Korte confirmed to CNN that she was fired on Friday along with publisher Max Lederer and editor-in-chief Erik Slavin. CBS News and The Washington Post first reported the separation notices.
Slavin said he was told that his dismissal was related to an interview he gave “CBS Sunday Morning.”
“They cited the CBS interview, and they said that I was insubordinate for responding to a hypothetical about censorship, saying that it was a red line,” Slavin told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
“I didn’t say I would disobey any sort of directive,” Slavin said. “In my mind I reaffirmed what the law says, what the [government regulations] say, which is that Stars and Stripes is meant to be free of news management and censorship.”
For the TV segment, which aired in early July, CBS correspondent David Martin interviewed both Slavin and Korte about their efforts to continue reporting despite Pentagon pressure.
Stars and Stripes is a product of the US military and is partly funded by the Pentagon, but it models itself after commercial newspapers and covers the news freely. Back in January, Hegseth’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, foreshadowed changes to the publication, raising concerns inside the newsroom.
In April, the Defense Department forced out the Stars and Stripes ombudsman, despite the fact that it is a congressionally mandated role.
The ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, had been speaking out about what she called the Pentagon’s “attempts to control the editorial content of Stars & Stripes.”
In June she filed suit in federal court, asserting the government violated her First Amendment rights. The suit is pending.
Further changes were presaged earlier this week when Lederer announced that he planned to retire at the end of September.
In a memo to staff, he wrote that “It has become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”
On Friday, he was ousted before he could leave on his own terms.
The Pentagon declined to comment and referred CNN to an open letter published Friday from Navy Capt. Bill Urban, who was appointed “military deputy to the publisher” earlier this week.
Several top Democratic senators objected to Urban’s appointment this week, writing in a letter to Hegseth that “The placement of an active-duty Public Affairs officer in the senior leadership of an organization whose credibility depends on its independence from the military chain of command raises serious questions.”
In Friday’s memo, Urban introduced himself, asserted that Stars and Stripes needs “modernization” and said he received “multiple assurances” from Pentagon leadership that they are committed to the outlet’s editorial independence.
But a new memo issued on Friday and approved by Parnell says, among other things, that “Stripes must safeguard information by preventing the disclosure of classified information and controlled unclassified information, and by avoiding the publication of material that would adversely affect national security or clearly endanger U.S. personnel.”
Critics focused on the “adversely affect national security” language since Stars & Stripes published stories as recently as this week that Pentagon leaders could find objectionable, like Korte’s report titled “Navy families evacuated from Bahrain face ‘uncharted territory’ amid bureaucratic confusion.”
The publication has also written repeatedly about the hardships faced by sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Korte told CNN, “I consider it a great privilege to live alongside members of the military and share their stories. These firings are a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press.”
“I’m proud of the work my colleagues and I do at Stars and Stripes, especially the last six months covering the protracted conflict in Iran,” Korte added. “Military families and service members have trusted us to share their experience with the world and I don’t take that lightly.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said the firings were “an ugly, un-American attack on our free press.”
“America’s brave servicemembers swore an oath to defend the Constitution. They deserve the free and independent press our Founders fought for 250 years ago, not Pravda-style propaganda,” the organization said.
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