In short
Rubbish Talk rates the Guardian's claim that the Pentagon "fires publisher and editor of Stars and Stripes" a 2/10 because multiple outlets, including Stars and Stripes itself, confirm the separation notices, though "fired" slightly overstates a process that technically remains under a five-day appeal window.
The Verdict
Lightly altered. The headline states as final what is, procedurally, a proposed separation with an appeal period still open, and it omits that publisher Max Lederer had already announced his own retirement days earlier. Neither point changes the substance of the story, which is corroborated word for word by CBS News, the Associated Press and Stars and Stripes' own newsroom.
What actually happened
The Pentagon issued separation notices on Friday to Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, citing insubordination. The separation notices, delivered Friday, gave Publisher Max Lederer and Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin five days to appeal their dismissals. Slavin and Korte say the cited "insubordination" traces to a CBS interview in which they defended the outlet's editorial independence from the Pentagon.
Key facts
- Reporter Lara Korte also said she received notice that she was being fired. The cause cited was insubordination.
- Slavin and Korte said the alleged insubordination was related to interviews they gave to CBS News for a piece on "CBS Sunday Morning" that aired in July.
- Lederer, who has been publisher of the newspaper for nearly two decades, said that he came to the decision after he realized that his "understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes" diverged in "fundamental ways" from the Pentagon's plans for the newspaper.
- Erik Slavin, editor in chief of the military newspaper that is partly funded by the Pentagon but has a long legacy of editorial independence, told The Associated Press that he and the others had received notices of separation.
- Replacing Lederer is William Urban, an active-duty Navy captain and public affairs officer who was appointed earlier this month as a deputy to Lederer. Lederer said he was not consulted on the decision.
What to watch for
Watch whether the appeals filed within the five-day window change or reverse any of the three separations, and whether Congress presses further: Three Democratic senators on Thursday wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Pentagon's handling of the outlet. Also track whether the Pentagon's "modernization" plan, which includes moving all print products to digital, accelerates now that new leadership is installed.
