Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon Over Alleged Censorship of Independent Military Reporting

Three senior employees of the Stars and Stripes military newspaper have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, claiming that their dismissals were part of a systematic effort to undermine the publication’s editorial independence.

In court documents filed on Thursday, publisher Max Lederer, editor‑in‑chief Erik Slavin and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte asserted that their First Amendment free‑speech rights had been violated.

Stars and Stripes has long positioned itself as an independent source for military news, despite receiving federal funding for its operations.

Last week, the three journalists received termination notices from the Pentagon, which reportedly accused them of insubordination.

The dismissals have raised questions about the Defense Department’s longstanding commitment to respecting the newspaper’s editorial independence.

The lawsuit alleges that the department and several of its leaders, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, engaged in “extraordinary censorship efforts.”

The complaint states, “Defendants are attempting to fire Plaintiffs for speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’s freedom to cover military operations.”

The suit seeks to prevent the blatant violation of the First Amendment rights of these journalists.

The case is set to be heard in a district court in Washington, D.C.

Korte explained the journalists’ reason for filing the lawsuit in a social media post.

She wrote, “Everyone deserves the right to a free and independent press, especially our service members. This lawsuit is about safeguarding the mission of Stars and Stripes journalists so they can continue to do their jobs without fear or retaliation.”

The legal battle is the latest instance under President Donald Trump in which the executive branch faces lawsuits alleging retaliation against reporters and media personalities who dissent from the administration’s positions.

The lawsuit cites a July interview on CBS Sunday Morning as the “genesis” of the friction between the Stars and Stripes journalists and the Trump administration.

Both Korte and Slavin appeared in the segment, during which a CBS reporter questioned them about their work and recent Pentagon statements indicating a desire to redirect the newspaper’s focus.

“You have a sign on your desk: Pick your battles,” CBS News reporter David Martin asked Slavin. “Which foxholes are you willing to die in?”

“We need to be able to provide independent news to service members,” Slavin responded. “If we can’t do that, if we were turned into something other than that, if we were public relations, that’s the foxhole.”

The CBS interview followed a January statement by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, in which he said the department would return Stars and Stripes “to its original mission: reporting for our warfighters.”

“We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members,” Parnell wrote.

“It will focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY.”

Critics have denounced the modernization initiative as a smokescreen through which the Pentagon is allegedly seeking to reshape the Stars and Stripes’ coverage.

The lawsuit highlights the newspaper’s key role in breaking coverage about deteriorating conditions on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been on deployment without a port stop since last November.

The Stars and Stripes was one of the first media outlets to report on supply shortages aboard the vessel and on the mental‑health struggles of sailors enduring the record‑long deployment.

Trump and Hegseth have both denied reports of poor living conditions on the USS Lincoln, calling such news “fake.”

The lawsuit suggests the recent firings may be retaliation for the Stars and Stripes’ reporting on the subject.

According to the suit, a day after one of its articles was published, the Defense Department contacted publisher Lederer about firing Korte and Slavin, citing the CBS interview from weeks earlier as justification.

Lederer did not comply with the order to deliver the termination notices. Instead, he announced his intention to retire in September.

In his memo to the Stars and Stripes staff, Lederer indicated he disagreed with the “direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”

However, on August 21, the Department of Defense issued termination notices to all three employees, including Lederer.

In April, the newspaper’s ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, was also dismissed. Her role, in part, was to safeguard the independence of Stars and Stripes, a publication with a storied history dating back to the U.S. Civil War.

Korte joined the paper in 2024, while colleagues Slavin and Lederer have been with Stars and Stripes for 21 and 25 years, respectively.

“Defense officials and military commanders have long made clear that Stripes would not be subject to interference by military officials,” the lawsuit states.

“Stripes’ historical editorial independence is critical to its core mission of gathering and providing unbiased, credible journalism to the U.S. military community.”

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