Pentagon officials are considering firing Max Lederer, the publisher of Stars and Stripes, who announced his retirement on September 30 due to disagreements with the Trump administration. The news outlet receives about 65% of its funding from the Defense Department, and Pentagon officials have expressed concerns that it has become outdated and no longer provides predominantly original news. According to public records, readership has declined since peaks during World War II, with print delivery decreasing by nearly a million copies between 2019 and 2024, and online unique visitors dropping 30% over the same period. The Pentagon's Chief spokesman Sean Parnell has stated that he wants to "bring Stars and Stripes into the 21st century" by refocusing its content away from "woke distractions".
Written by the local model on 2026-08-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Pentagon officials are considering firing Max Lederer, the longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes, a military news outlet that receives 65% of its funding from the Defense Department. Lederer announced his decision to retire on September 30, citing fundamental differences with the Trump administration. He has been publisher for 19 years and has prided himself on the outlet's editorial independence. However, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has spoken about "bringing Stars and Stripes into the 21st century," implying a desire to shift its focus and tone. This comes after William Urban, the new military deputy to the publisher of Stars and Stripes, explained in an open letter that he intends to modernize the paper and build its readership, which he claimed was fewer than 30,000 digital subscribers and a print circulation of less than 10,000. The changes have led to allegations that the Pentagon is trying to silence journalists who are critical of its policies. Three journalists from Stars and Stripes - including Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte - have sued the Department of Defense in federal court, alleging their dismissals were illegal and violated their first amendment rights to free speech.
Written for “Journalists vs Pentagon Firing Policy” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Pentagon officials have discussed firing the longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes before his scheduled retirement, U.S. officials told CBS News, as the Trump administration strategizes an overhaul of the military news outlet partly funded by American taxpayers.
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administration → discuss → taxpayers
Max Lederer, who has served as the publisher of Stars and Stripes for 19 years, this week announced to colleagues his decision to retire on Sept. 30, citing fundamental differences with the Trump administration.
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who → serve → administration
Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin has spoken publicly,
, about disagreements with Pentagon leaders.
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Slavin → speak → leaders
It was unclear when a decision on the news outlet's leadership would be made.
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decision → make → leadership
Spokespeople for the Defense Department didn't immediately comment.
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Spokespeople → comment → Department
The outlet, which receives about 65% of its funding through the Defense Department, has long prided itself on its editorial independence from the public affairs apparatus at the Pentagon.
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which → receive → Pentagon
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has posted on social media about "bringing Stars and Stripes into the 21st century," writing in January: "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."
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that → post → members
CBS News
that an average of 1.4 million people see Stars and Stripes each day — mostly online, although it puts out a print version overseas for service members in remote places where access to the internet can be unreliable.
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access → see → internet
Two U.S. officials said public records show readership has declined since peaks during World War II, the Cold War and the Vietnam War.
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readership → say → II
Print delivery slid from about 7 million annual copies in 2019 to 6.2 million in 2024, and unique visitors to stripes.com fell about 30% in that period, from 20 million to 14 million a year, records show.
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records → slide → million
Pentagon staff said there are stacks of newspapers in the building that seem to go untouched, containing articles that service members can access online from other outlets.
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members → say → outlets
Another complaint has been that the newspaper has been mostly an aggregator of news instead of providing predominantly original news.
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newspaper → provide → news
The publication was projected to spend about $400,000 this year on subscription services for content that appears on its pages, records show.
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records → project → pages
The outlet no longer uses wire services such as Reuters or The Associated Press.
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outlet → use → Reuters
Parnell said in January that the outlet would "focus on warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability, and ALL THINGS MILITARY.
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outlet → say → warfighting
Newspapers typically use wire service copy to inform readers of news they are not covering with their own staff.
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they → use → staff
Asked for comment, Lederer in an email to CBS News on Wednesday said he wasn't comfortable participating in an interview before he leaves his job.
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he → ask → job
In his note to staff on Tuesday, which was obtained by CBS News, Lederer wrote: "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."
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leadership → obtain → organization
He said that until the end of September, "I will do everything I can to make sure the transition is smooth for each of you."
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transition → say → you
Over the years, the newspaper has reported on failures inside the military itself, including deteriorating housing, problems in the barracks and allegations of neglect at military child care centers.
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newspaper → report → centers
It has also published writings critical of military policies and leadership.
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It → publish → policies
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II famously defended the newspaper and wanted it to be "free from propaganda" and influence from military brass, according to a December 1988 GAO report to Congress examining allegations of military censorship of Stars and Stripes.
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it → defend → Stars
Recently, Stars and Stripes has provided coverage of the war in the Middle East and what it means for service members.
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it → provide → members
It was one of the first outlets to report on the families of sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier confronting the acting Navy secretary about the nearly nine-month deployment.
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It → report → deployment
The Trump administration has taken steps to limit access to media outlets that cover the military.
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that → take → military
News organizations, including CBS News, had to leave their workspaces in the Pentagon in 2025 unless they consented to new policies imposed by the administration.
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they → include → administration
The ombudsman for Stars and Stripes was fired in April, days after writing an opinion column in the newspaper where she criticized what she described as restrictions placed on wire copy and syndicated material.
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she → fire → copy
Jacqueline Smith sued the Pentagon in June alleging that her termination was retaliatory and violated her First Amendment rights.
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termination → sue → rights
