Three journalists from the nation’s independent military newspaper are suing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top officials to prevent their firings, which they allege came in retaliation for negative news coverage and speaking out about the importance of press freedom.
Former editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes Erik Slavin, former publisher Max Lederer, Jr. and former reporter Lara Korte allege in the 45-page complaint that officials began retaliating against them after they started speaking out about the importance of the newspaper’s editorial independence last month. The lawsuit specifically points to a CBS Sunday Morning segment that aired in early July, titled “the battle over Stars and Stripes,” in which Slavin and Korte criticized department officials over attempted crackdowns on the 165-year-old paper’s direction.
The complaint, filed in D.C. federal district court on Thursday, argues that the retaliation ramped up after the newspaper published a report earlier this month focused on the deteriorating mental health conditions of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. That story was not written by anyone involved in the current lawsuit.
The day after the story was published, according to the complaint, officials ordered Lederer to fire Slavin and Korte for “insubordination,” citing their statements to CBS. But Lederer refused, instead opting to retire “because he did not want to be part of Defendants’ scheme to illegally punish Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte for exercising their First Amendment rights,” the complaint states. Just over a week later, on Aug. 21, the defendants attempted to fire all three journalists, and cited their statements to the media “as grounds for their termination.”
Spokespeople for the Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MS NOW on Thursday afternoon.
Federal officials have made Stars and Stripes a key focus of the administration’s culture wars and its attempted reform of the Defense Department. They announced earlier this year that they would take over the newspaper, characterizing its coverage as “woke distractions that syphon morale.” The paper’s ombudsman was fired a few months later after she told The Washington Post the Pentagon’s plan to expand oversight of the newspaper “threatens Stars and Stripes’ continued editorial independence.”
In addition to Hegseth and the Defense Department, the complaint names as defendants Sean Parnell, chief spokesperson for the Defense Department, and Andrew Brey, principal deputy assistant to the secretary of defense for Public Affairs.
The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order preventing their firings from taking effect, alleging that the firings violate the First Amendment.
“Everyone deserves the right to a free and independent press, especially our service members,” Korte wrote in a post on X. “This lawsuit is about safeguarding the mission of Stars and Stripes journalists so they can continue to do their jobs without fear or retaliation.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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