Fired Stars and Stripes staffers sue Pentagon, allege retaliation and First Amendment violation

Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte are named as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Washington, D.C.

The three journalists were all employees of Stars and Stripes, which their court filing calls “the U.S. military’s independent news source since the Civil War with a long history of editorial independence, free from news management or censorship by military command”.

The Pentagon, which provides partial financial backing for the outlet, terminated the trio last week.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the suit’s allegations.