The Battle over ‘Stars and Stripes’

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.