Fired staff members of the Stars and Stripes military newspaper are suing the US Pentagon. This federal lawsuit was filed on August 27, 2026.
Source: “Fired Stars and Stripes staffers sue Pentagon, Hegseth.”
The fired staff members include:
- Former publisher, Max Lederer
- Former editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin
- Former Middle East reporter, Lara Korte
The reasons for the lawsuit:
- Staff member dismissals based on retaliation
- “Extraordinary censorship efforts” in violation of the First Amendment
The lawsuit accuses the Pentagon of attempting to fire the staffers “for speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’s freedom to cover military operations, its need to reach all servicepersons, and in retaliation for their publication of a news report on deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during its extended tour of duty in the Mid-East.
— BrieAnna Frank, Freedom Forum
What can woke senior citizens do to help protect freedom of speech? FIRST: support organizations that fight for our rights, like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). Support the activities and/or funding of such groups. SECOND: add independent* news outlets, like the Associated Press (AP), Democracy Now, or The Guardian, to your daily news consumption.
[None of the major news networks are independent. They are, themselves, major corporations, and therefore maintain a bias toward the status quo that billionaires and wealthy special interests enjoy. (Why wouldn’t they?) In addition, the Fairness Doctrine, which required “the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints,” was abolished in 1987. Thirty-nine years ago! (See: Fairness Doctrine, Wikipedia.) While I burst bubbles… I should also tell you: truth in advertising does NOT apply to political campaign ads, which are considered a form of free speech.]
Historically, the Stars and Stripes was an independent news source. Obviously, the newspaper’s freedom of speech is currently compromised. But when the time is right, you may want to become a subscriber. Just half of the Stars and Stripes annual budget is provided by the Pentagon. The rest is funded by advertising and subscribers. A digital subscription is $49.99/year.
* Independent news is journalism that is free from corporate or government control. Independent news is considered the “Fourth Estate,” a term that emphasizes the media’s function as a watchdog in democratic societies. (See: Fourth Estate, Wikipedia.)
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