Journalism advocacy groups decried the firings and criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for trying to manipulate independent news coverage of the military.
Reporter Lara Korte confirmed to CNN that she was fired on Friday along with publisher Max Lederer and editor-in-chief Erik Slavin. CBS News and The Washington Post first reported the separation notices.
Slavin said he was told that his dismissal was related to an interview he gave “CBS Sunday Morning.”
For the TV segment, which aired in early July, CBS correspondent David Martin interviewed both Slavin and Korte about their efforts to continue reporting despite Pentagon pressure.
Stars and Stripes is a product of the US military and is partly funded by the Pentagon, but it models itself after commercial newspapers and covers the news freely. Back in January, Hegseth’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, foreshadowed changes to the publication, raising concerns inside the newsroom.
In April, the Defense Department forced out the Stars and Stripes ombudsman, despite the fact that it is a congressionally mandated role.
The ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, had been speaking out about what she called the Pentagon’s “attempts to control the editorial content of Stars & Stripes.”
In June she filed suit in federal court, asserting the government violated her First Amendment rights. The suit is pending.
Further changes were presaged earlier this week when Lederer announced that he planned to retire at the end of September.
In a memo to staff, he wrote that “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.”
On Friday, he was ousted before he could leave on his own terms.
The Pentagon declined to comment and referred CNN to an open letter published Friday from Navy Capt. Bill Urban, who was appointed “military deputy to the publisher” earlier this week.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com
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