Former ‘Stars And Stripes’ Publisher Says Iran War Coverage Led To Firings

U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes’ former publisher, Max D. Lederer Jr., asserted that the paper’s coverage of the Iran War led to his firing and the termination of several other employees, Monday, while speaking in Tokyo.

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Lederer claimed that the paper was not advancing the narrative favored by senior Pentagon officials regarding the Iran war. In particular, Lederer claims that the publication’s reporting on the crew conditions aboard the USS Lincoln was the tipping point that led to his termination.

The former publisher was fired alongside two other employees at the paper, the editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte. The three have since filed suit naming senior Department of War (DoW) officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Sean Parnell, a senior communications official at the Pentagon.

The lawsuit claims the journalists were unfairly terminated and seeks their reinstatement to their previous positions; however, Lederer characterized the lawsuit as having a broader mission, saying the publication’s ability to report objectively on U.S. military affairs without retaliation is at stake. (RELATED: Is Trump’s Middle Eastern Mediation Really Just An Illusion?)

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“If a reporter can be fired for saying she works for the newspaper and not a policymaker, or if an editor can be fired for saying that he refuses to use government propaganda, then no journalist in Stars and Stripes can report freely on conditions, on the readiness, on the welfare of American forces,” Lederer said.

Stars and Stripes has emphasized its own journalistic independence through its own editorial direction as well as through established Pentagon rules and regulations. Nonetheless, the paper is owned by the DoW.

Reporting from the USS Lincoln included malfunctioning equipment, dangerous conditions, and plummeting crew morale. Earlier this month, after more than 200 days at sea, the Lincoln was dispatched from the Middle East and made a temporary port of call in Thailand before beginning its journey back to the U.S.

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