Three journalists sue Pentagon after being fired from military news outlet Stars and Stripes
Three former employees of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes have sued the US Department of Defense, claiming their firings were illegal and violated their First Amendment rights. They allege the dismissals were retaliation for a report on poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Three journalists dismissed by the Pentagon from the government-funded newspaper Stars and Stripes filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday against the US Department of Defense, arguing their firings were unlawful and violated their First Amendment right to free speech.
The plaintiffs are former publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte. Court filings describe Stars and Stripes as the US military's independent news source since the Civil War, with a long history of editorial independence free from censorship by military command.
The journalists allege that the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are trying to fire them for speaking out as private citizens in defense of press freedom to cover military operations, and in retaliation for a report on worsening conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during its extended deployment in the Middle East.
Slavin and Korte said they were dismissed over alleged "insubordination" following a CBS News interview in which they raised concerns about potential military censorship. According to the complaint, the Pentagon took no immediate action after the interview aired on 5 July.
The suit claims the real trigger came after an 11 August report on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had spent nearly nine months supporting US military operations in the Middle East. The article detailed how the carrier's roughly 5,000 sailors endured food and water shortages, disrupted mail service, long workdays and little time off, affecting their physical and mental health.
The day after that article was published, the complaint says, Lederer was ordered to fire Slavin and Korte — five and a half weeks after the CBS interview. Lederer refused to carry out the order, instead announcing his retirement to staff by email, saying he did not want to be part of a scheme to illegally punish colleagues for exercising their First Amendment rights.
Lederer was removed from his post shortly after announcing his planned retirement, which was to take effect at the end of September. He said the Pentagon had installed a new deputy publisher — an active-duty service member — under him without his prior knowledge.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday's lawsuit.
