Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon Over Retaliatory Firings
Three former Stars and Stripes journalists sued the Department of Defense, alleging they were fired for reporting on poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Three journalists from the federally funded news organization Stars and Stripes filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Washington on Thursday. The plaintiffs—former publisher Max D. Lederer Jr., editor in chief Erik A. Slavin, and Middle East correspondent Lara S. Korte—allege the United States Department of Defense terminated them in retaliation for reporting on food and water shortages and mental health struggles among sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during an extended deployment.
The lawsuit claims the government violated First Amendment rights and seeks to block the terminations. The journalists also challenge recent Pentagon policies they argue limit editorial independence, specifically a January rescission of operational regulations and a March memo that banned wire reprints and comics.
The Department of Defense denied the retaliation claims, citing insubordination and unauthorized media appearances as the grounds for the firings. Sean Parnell, the chief spokesman for the Department of Defense, stated that the publication must refocus its content away from "woke distractions."
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