Stars and Stripes employees sue Pentagon over firings at military newspaper
The journalists say the Pentagon acted after coverage of a Navy deployment and a CBS interview defending editorial independence.
- On Thursday, three employees of the newspaper Stars and Stripes filed a lawsuit in Washington against the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging their firings were retaliation for unflattering Navy coverage.
- The Pentagon fired the three staff members last Friday, citing insubordination; according to the lawsuit, the move followed an article by Alison Bath about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the Middle East.
- Erik Slavin, Lara Korte, and Max Lederer were cited for insubordination, with Slavin and Korte specifically cited for comments made during a CBS News interview regarding First Amendment principles.
- Seeking to halt their terminations, the lawsuit claims the actions are unlawful; the employees stated their goal is to protect the rights of service members to a free and independent Stars and Stripes.
- Lederer, who spent 30 years with the paper, resigned after finding his philosophy differed in "fundamental ways" from the Defense Department's plans; the newspaper has operated as an independent organization since World War.
145 Articles
145 Articles
Stars And Stripes: Are They Journalists Or Federal Government Employees?
Well here’s an “only in Washington” conundrum.The news emerges from the Pentagon with this sample headline from The Washington Post: Stars and Stripes employees sue Pentagon over firings at military newspaperThe publication’s publisher, its editor in chief and a reporter allege that the government violated their First Amendment rights to free speech.The Post story reports: Three staffers at Stars and Stripes, including the military publication’s…
Pentagon Pauses Stars and Stripes Firings
By: Paul Goldberg – Senior Correspondent | Breaking Military News WASHINGTON, D.C. — (August 28, 2026) — Three senior Stars and Stripes journalists facing termination by the Pentagon have received a temporary reprieve as their escalating First Amendment battle with the Department of Defense moves through federal court. The Pentagon agreed Friday to hold off [...] The post Pentagon Backs Off — For Now — in Explosive Stars and Stripes Press Freedo…
Pentagon Pauses Terminations of Stars and Stripes Journalists Pending Lawsuit
AP Photo/Omar Havana The Pentagon agreed on Friday to temporarily halt the terminations of three Stars and Stripes journalists as they challenge their dismissals in federal court, according to Politico reporter Josh Gerstein. “BREAKING: Pentagon agrees to hold off firing 3 Stars & Stripes journalists through next Friday to allow their court challenge to be argued,” Gerstein wrote on X at 5:32 PM ET. “Reprieve came as Judge Trevor McFadden (Trump…
3 Former Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon Over Firings
Three former senior journalists with the Stars and Stripes military news outlet are suing the Trump administration after they were fired from the publication. Former Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte are named as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit, which was filed in Washington on Aug. 27. Lederer, Slavin, and Korte say they were victimized after speaking out about the admin…
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