Pete Hegseth wants to turn Stars and Stripes into a Pentagon mouthpiece

The newspaper, which dates to the Civil War, is not the Pentagon’s Pravda, even if Hegseth thinks it should be.

While drama over the Pentagon's firing of Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer plays out in the establishment media, sources close to the situation are telling Breitbart News that the military publication had suffered under his 20 years of leadership.

Lara Korte, a former Middle East reporter for the Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military news outlet that is partially funded by American taxpayers, joined CBS News 24/7 with her reaction to her firing by the Pentagon.

‘I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon’

Fired Editor Of Stars And Stripes Military Newspaper Says He’s Concerned About Censorship At The Pentagon  Forbes

The publisher of the military newspaper announced his retirement earlier this week but also received a separation notice, the editor-in-chief says

Stars and Stripes is a US govt-funded news publication that reports on the military. It recently reported on the problems faced by USS Abraham Lincoln crew

Stars and Stripes is partially funded by the DOD but has long maintained editorial independence.

The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte for alleged insubordination.

"According to the notice, I am being fired for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line," Erik Slavin said.

Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin has suggested his firing was retaliation for speaking out about editorial independence.

“People should be outraged,” Will Creely, FIRE's legal director, told Newsweek.

The news comes about a month after the editor stressed the importance of the newspaper’s independence in an interview, and a few days after the publisher announced his plans to retire.

Stars and Stripes Fox News Digital confirmed faces a leadership shakeup as Pentagon considers terminating publisher Max Lederer before retirement.

Max Lederer Jr., the publisher of Stars and Stripes, has stepped down amidst disputes over editorial independence. The Pentagon's push for more oversight has sparked tension regarding the military newspaper's objective reporting. Their recent pieces on poor conditions and declining morale reportedly led to criticism fr