All articles tagged with #stars and stripes
A New York Times analysis shows President Trump using multiple federal levers—FBI subpoenas to reporters, Pentagon actions against Stars and Stripes, regulatory pressure on media, funding cuts to public broadcasting, and White House control of the press pool—to curb press freedoms in a broad, rapid campaign across government.
Former Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer and reporters Lara Korte and Erik Slavin were fired by the Pentagon after reporting on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln; Lederer and colleagues sued claiming First Amendment rights, but a federal judge refused to halt the terminations, keeping the lawsuit alive and underscoring tensions over military journalism and censorship.
U.S. District Judge McFadden declined to block the Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes staffers, allowing the lawsuit to move forward; the suit names the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and plaintiffs say discovery will reveal facts and they expect to prevail.
A federal judge refused to block the Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte after they gave a CBS News interview, finding they were acting as public employees and that their terminations for pre-approved interviews did not clearly violate the First Amendment. The ruling leaves the lawsuit alive and ongoing, with discovery ahead; the case also touches on allegations of editorial independence and staff changes at the Pentagon-funded outlet, including a deputy publisher appointment without Lederer’s knowledge.
A federal judge refused to block the Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes journalists and allowed the military to push for greater editorial control over the outlet, ruling the terminations were connected to pre‑approved interviews by public employees and not clearly a First Amendment violation. The decision tempers the journalists’ bid to reinstate them and comes amid other lawsuits alleging Pentagon interference with the paper’s editorial independence, underscoring ongoing tensions over autonomy at a military publication partly funded by the Defense Department.
A federal judge granted a one-week reprieve to three Stars and Stripes staffers facing termination after they spoke about threats to editorial independence; a temporary restraining order was debated as a First Amendment suit argues the firings retaliate against speech, with a Sept. 4 hearing set to consider keeping the staff on leave while litigation proceeds.
A fired editor of the Stars and Stripes military newspaper alleges Pentagon pressure on coverage, raising concerns about censorship and calling for greater transparency and protections for journalists covering the military.
The editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, Erik Slavin, along with a reporter and the paper’s publisher, was fired by the DoD for insubordination after an interview suggesting censorship could be a red line. Slavin warns of a chilling climate with less on-the-record Pentagon commentary, while the DoD declined to comment and the paper’s independence remains under scrutiny.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, along with long-time publisher Max Lederer, after leadership publicly defended the paper’s editorial independence amid tensions with Defense Department policy. Slavin says the firing followed remarks about censorship in a CBS interview, while the Pentagon frames it as refocusing Stars and Stripes on its original mission to report for warfighters. The shake-up, which also saw ombudsman Jacqueline Smith fired and Deputy Publisher William Urban appointed, drew criticism from press groups and lawmakers who warn the move undermines independent military journalism.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte for insubordination after clashes over editorial independence and coverage of the USS Abraham Lincoln; the moves follow reporting that angered Trump-era officials, with staffers defending independence and five-day appeals windows granted for the dismissals.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes leadership amid a pressure campaign led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising concerns about editorial independence at the military newspaper as publisher Max Lederer, editor Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte were ousted following media scrutiny and internal pushback.
The Stars and Stripes’ longtime editor, who had led the newspaper for three decades and served as publisher since 2007, says he was fired for insubordination after conducting an interview, a move that comes amid a Pentagon bid to tighten editorial control and curb what it calls woke distractions; the episode follows an April firing of the paper’s ombudsman and underscores ongoing tensions over editorial independence within the military publication.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin, and a reporter after the paper criticized DOD interference and participated in a CBS News interview the Pentagon deemed insubordination, signaling a blow to the military newspaper’s editorial independence.
Yesterday Navy Secretary John Phelan, a billionaire with close Trump ties and no military background, was asked to resign after meetings with lawmakers about Navy ship plans and the Pentagon budget, a move driven by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and ally Stephen Feinberg. The firing signals a broader push to reshape the Pentagon and military leadership as Trump’s influence remains evident, with coverage noting Hegseth’s crackdown on press independence at Stars and Stripes. The piece also highlights GOP efforts to fund ICE/CBP via budget reconciliation and a push to extend Section 702, alongside a new Astronauts for America group formed by ex-NASA astronauts to defend democratic values.
The Defense Department signaled a reorientation of the independent Stars and Stripes to emphasize warfighter-focused reporting with more DoD-produced content and less ‘woke’ material, including plans for active-duty writers and reduced reliance on AP/Reuters. The move drew criticism from the paper’s publisher and ombudsman who warn it could undermine editorial independence, amid questions about the Defense Department’s authority and a recent report that job applicants were asked about supporting Trump policies, seen as a loyalty test.