Three Former Stars and Stripes Employees Sue Pentagon To Get Their Jobs Back

Three former employees of Stars and Stripes are suing the Pentagon to get their jobs back, claiming they were fired in violation of the First Amendment.The former publisher of Stars and Stripes, Max Lederer, as well as the paper’s former editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin, and a former reporter, Lara Korte, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday. The complaint alleges that Mr. Lederer was improperly charged with insubordination because he spoke out about his disagreement with Pentagon leadership’s vision for the military-focused paper and because he refused to fire Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte. It also alleges that Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte faced retaliation for saying, during an interview on CBS News in July, that Stars and Stripes should retain its independence.Stars and Stripes, which has served the American military community continuously since World War II, receives roughly half of its funding from the Department of Defense but has a history of maintaining editorial independence.The plaintiffs are being represented by several organizations. A senior attorney at one of the organizations, Democracy Defenders, Taryn Wilgus Null, said in a statement, “The Pentagon is trying to punish journalists for defending the established mission of Stars and Stripes.”“We are asking the court to stop these unconstitutional terminations. Service members and their families need reporting that is independent of the officials it covers and is unafraid to criticize them when they deserve it,” Ms. Null said. The lawsuit argues that Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte were targeted for retaliation after they expressed an opinion about the paper’s editorial independence that was “entirely consistent with DoD’s own longstanding insistence on Stripes’ independence.” The filing says that Mr. Lederer was ordered to fire them shortly after the paper published an article about “deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.” Last week, Mr. Lederer announced his resignation, saying in a memo that it had 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 told staffers that he intended to stay on until September 30, but said that he was not sure if the Pentagon would fire him.On August 21, the Pentagon delivered notices of separation to the three plaintiffs, accusing them of insubordination. The lawsuit says the notices also referenced their comments to the media.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and a Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, are listed as defendants. The Department of Defense declined to comment.Earlier this year, Mr. Parnell announced a Pentagon effort to “modernize” Stars and Stripes and “refocus its content away from woke distractions.” And in April, the Pentagon fired the Stars and Stripes’ ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, whose job was to help maintain the paper’s independence. Ms. Smith has also filed a lawsuit, arguing that her termination violated her First Amendment rights.

Three Former Stars and Stripes Employees Sue Pentagon To Get Their Jobs Back

Three Former Stars and Stripes Employees Sue Pentagon To Get Their Jobs Back

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