Fired Stars and Stripes staffers sue Pentagon, Hegseth

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The fired staff members of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes sued the Pentagon over their dismissals, accusing the military of “extraordinary censorship efforts” in violation of the First Amendment. The federal lawsuit, filed Aug. 27 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, came less than a week after the newspaper’s former editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin, told news outlets that he was dismissed for insubordination after a CBS News interview in which he said censorship by the military would "constitute a red line." He maintained that the newspaper "must remain editorially independent." The Pentagon also fired publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte. The lawsuit alleges that the Pentagon is attempting to fire the staffers “for speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’s freedom to cover military operations, its need to reach all servicepersons and in retaliation for their publication of a news report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln during its extended tour of duty in the Mid-East.” The trio is being represented by Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers for Good Government, the Government Accountability Project and the Yale School Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic. The Department of Defense and Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell and Andrew Brey, Hegseth’s principal deputy assistant for public affairs, are listed as defendants. Among other requests, the complaint asked the court to declare the firings unlawful under the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedures Act and bar the Pentagon from proceeding with the terminations. Stars and Stripes' website says about half of its funding comes from the Defense Department and that it is "editorially independent" and "governed by the principles of the First Amendment." The Pentagon has been accused of violating those principles throughout President Donald Trump's second term, with ongoing lawsuits related to the press policy it implemented in 2025 and the removal of hundreds of books from its schools over perceived "wokeness." USA TODAY reached out to the Pentagon for comment. Publisher chose to retire instead of firing editor-in-chief and reporter, complaint saysThe complaint accused the Pentagon of “escalating attacks on Stripes’ independence” since January 2025. It referenced Parnell’s January X post that said the Pentagon would “modernize” the newspaper and ”refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale.” On the same day, the lawsuit said, the Pentagon “purportedly repealed the Stripes Regulations protecting Stripes’ editorial independence without notice or opportunity for public comment.” That was followed by a March memo that “imposed unprecedented restrictions on newsroom operations and content," the complaint said. Among the changes were an end to the use of wire stories and publication of cartoons.Parnell and Brey later accused Lederer of "purportedly failing to implement the March memo," the complaint said.Both Slavin and Korte received approval to participate in their personal capacities in the CBS News interview, which was filmed at Stars and Stripes’ newsroom June 26 and aired July 5. In the interview, Korte said she worked for the newspaper and "not for the Pentagon, not for any administration, not for any policymaker."Parnell allegedly asked Lederer what he thought about the piece in a July 5 email, and Lederer defended Slavin and Korte in response. Lederer's quarterly progress review that month said the "most important element of the (performance) plan is the faithful administration of POTUS policies," the complaint said, and criticized what it described as Lederer's "loss of institutional control."“The Stripes teams’ revolt is a direct reflection of Max’s failed leadership,” the review said, according to the complaint. After the newspaper published a story about reported problems on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on Aug. 11, Brey allegedly emailed Lederer and directed him to issue separation notices to Slavin and Korte “based expressly on their statements to CBS.” Lederer responded with clarifying questions and concern that the proposed separation language did not include a required 30-day notice, the complaint said. Brey reiterated the directive, and Lederer opted to retire instead of doing so. He announced his retirement to staff in an Aug. 18 email that said 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 leader of the Department of Defense has for the organization." His planned last day was Sept. 30.But he, along with Slavin and Korte, were each given separation notices Aug. 21 that gave them five business days to respond, the complaint said.On the same day the separation notices were issued, according to the complaint, the Pentagon issued guidance that said Stars and Stripes' content “must not have a direct, material and immediate negative impact on military readiness and safety.” That included “content that incites or produces imminent lawless action” or reveals non-public information that “could be foreseeably exploited by an adversary.” The complaint said the plaintiffs expected the Pentagon to terminate them Aug. 28 "based on the foregoing course of events and the irregularity of the process to date."BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com. USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.