Stars and Stripes publisher, editor and reporter sue Pentagon to challenge their firings
Summary
Three staff members from the military news outlet Stars and Stripes are suing the Pentagon after being fired. They claim the Trump administration violated their free speech rights by firing them for speaking out against military censorship and interference.Key Facts
- Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C.
- They say the Pentagon fired them last week as retaliation for their journalism and comments about military censorship.
- Slavin and Korte had given an interview criticizing potential censorship and reported on poor conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
- Lederer was fired shortly after announcing he would retire later this year.
- The lawsuit states maintaining editorial independence is key to Stars and Stripes' role serving military members and their families.
- The Pentagon, which partly funds Stars and Stripes, has not commented on the lawsuit.
- The Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are named in the lawsuit.
- The plaintiffs are represented by several legal advocacy groups including the Democracy Defenders Fund and Yale Law School clinic.
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