Under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon has tried more than once to impose restrictions on the free press. So far, those efforts have failed in court, but there’s one news outlet where the Defense Department has had more success. The Washington Post reported:
The longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes announced he’s stepping down weeks after the Pentagon installed an active-duty Navy captain at the military newspaper, an atypical appointment that staffers, board members and Democratic lawmakers say risks further eroding the publication’s independence from the government.
Max Lederer, who spent more than 30 years at Stars and Stripes, announced Tuesday he was stepping away after nearly two decades as publisher.
In an email to the newspaper’s staff obtained by the Post, Lederer’s message wasn’t exactly subtle.
“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,” he wrote.
The apparent tipping point was the Pentagon’s decision to impose William Urban, an active-duty Navy captain and public affairs officer, to serve as the publisher’s deputy — a decision that was made without Lederer’s approval or consultation and despite the legendary paper’s tradition of civilian leadership.
As many service members and veterans likely know, Stars and Stripes is a military newspaper with a generations-old pedigree, which has long described itself as the “U.S. military’s independent news source.”
Lederer’s departure comes on the heels of Hegseth’s Pentagon firing Jacqueline Smith, the paper’s ombudsman. (As has been the case with many recent Defense Department firings, Smith was given no reason for her dismissal. In June, she filed suit, challenging her ouster in court.) Though the outlet has traditionally operated independently, it’s partly funded by the Defense Department, which made it possible for the Pentagon to oust Smith.
The word “independent” was — and remains — key. As it covers the military, Stars and Stripes has long enjoyed the same kind of editorial freedom of civilian newspapers, even if that means publishing reports the Pentagon doesn’t always like. By design, it is not a propaganda outlet.
At least, that is, it wasn’t a propaganda outlet. To ensure it publishes only news reports in line with the administration’s preferred messages, Trump appointees at the Defense Department announced in January that they would commandeer the newspaper. By gutting Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence, the Pentagon could “refocus its content away from woke distractions,” as one of Hegseth’s top deputies put it at the time.
The Post reported soon after that those seeking open positions at Stars and Stripes were asked how they would advance Trump’s “policy priorities” in the role.
In March, the newspaper’s ombudsman spoke out against the moves, explaining that the administration’s actions were to “the detriment of the troops who rely on the newspaper for complete coverage and continued accurate coverage that is not propaganda.”
Since propaganda is apparently the goal, Smith was ousted soon after. Now, Stars and Stripes’ publisher is out, too.
This has not gone unnoticed on Capitol Hill. Indeed, as The New Republic reported, three Democratic senators — Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — wrote to Hegseth this week to express their dissatisfaction.
“The placement of an active-duty Public Affairs officer in the senior leadership of an organization whose credibility depends on its independence from the military chain of command raises serious questions,” the senators wrote. The Democrats added, “For generations, American service members, particularly those stationed overseas and in combat zones, have relied on Stars and Stripes for credible and independent news. At this critical moment of leadership transition, that independence must not be compromised. We urge you to preserve that independence and provide prompt answers regarding these latest developments.”
The senators directed Hegseth to respond by Aug. 28, demanding a “detailed explanation” as to why he appointed an active-duty officer to oversee the outlet. Watch this space.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
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