RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Three journalists fired from the government-backed Stars and Stripes military newspaper earlier this month are suing the Pentagon, alleging they were punished for publishing news reports about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Max Lederer, the outlet's then-publisher, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte also allege they were fired for "speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’ freedom to cover military operations, its need to reach all servicepersons," according to documents filed on Thursday.
The complaint alleges they were axed from their jobs partly "in retaliation for their publication of a news report on deteriorating conditions" on the USS Abraham Lincoln , which has spent a record-breaking run at sea while deployed in the Middle East during the U.S. war with Iran.
Stars and Stripes is funded by the U.S. government, but has long said it is editorially independent of the Pentagon.
Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment via email.
The filing alleges the Pentagon felt "displeasure" after Slavin and Korte appeared on a CBS segment on July 5 to discuss their concerns over potential editorial oversight from the Department of Defense, but that the Pentagon did not act at that time.
The complaint alleges the Pentagon ordered Lederer to fire Slavin and Korte for "insubordination" in relation to their CBS appearance the day after Stars and Stripes published a report on conditions for the roughly 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on August 11.
The outlet reported the Lincoln's crew had suffered shortages of food and water, intermittent access to mail, long work days and limited time off for several months, contributing to poor mental health among those on board.
Concerns for the welfare of crew members on the Lincoln prompted calls for investigations into living conditions on the carrier from U.S. lawmakers, despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the experiences of the thousands of sailors on board were "completely misrepresented."
Multiple sailors attempted to jump overboard, according to specialist military outlets. The Navy has said it is not aware of an increase in "suicidal ideation" but that the service takes "every service member’s well-being seriously."
President Donald Trump said the more than 200 days the carrier had spent at sea was "not nearly long enough."
Hegseth, Pentagon official Andrew Brey, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell were all named in the suit in their official capacities.
Lederer did not immediately fire Slavin and Korte, and after Brey reissued his instruction to dismiss the two journalists, Lederer "decided then and there to retire," the filing said.
He "took this step because he did not want to be part of Defendants’ scheme to illegally punish Mr. Slavin and Ms. Korte for exercising their First Amendment rights," according to the suit.
On August 21, the Pentagon fired all three journalists, charging them with "insubordination" and violations of other government regulations tied to their comments to media outlets, according to the documents.
"Defendants seek to terminate Plaintiffs because they publicly expressed their personal opinions about Stripes ’ operations as citizens and because Defendants disapproved of Stripes ’ publication of the Lincoln Story," the filing adds.
The Lincoln is expected to make a brief stop in Thailand in early September after spending more than 250 days continuously at sea. The USS George Washington, which traveled from Asian waters, arrived in the Middle East earlier this month to relieve the Lincoln's crew.
Admiral Daryl Caudle, the chief of U.S. naval operations, said on Wednesday the main issues aboard the Lincoln were supplies of hygiene products and of certain types of drinks.
"There was some learning curve on our replenishment process," he said.
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