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Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor and reporter after CBS interview on independence
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte for insubordination after they publicly defended the newspaper's editorial independence, and also dismissed publisher Max Lederer.
This challenges the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper partly funded by the Pentagon but legally required to operate independently. The firings signal that government-funded journalists who publicly defend press independence may face retaliation.
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Pentagon fired editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte for insubordination after they gave a CBS interview defending editorial independence.
Publisher Max Lederer was also dismissed after the Pentagon installed Navy Capt. William Urban as deputy publisher without his prior knowledge.
National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called the firing an attempt by the Pentagon to dictate military coverage and demanded immediate reversal.
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