Press Freedom · Military · October 14, 2026

The Pentagon Put Its Own Public Affairs Executive in Charge of the Newspaper That Covers the Pentagon

Official guidance says Stars and Stripes keeps its editorial independence. The personnel record tells a different story.

Misleading The Overlooked

By TFCNN Research Desk·Editor: James MacNeil·Reviewed and approved by the editor·Verified with the JustChecking.ai method (manual check, Oct 15, 2026; score 7/10)·How we check

The claim

“Stars and Stripes will be “modernized” while its editorial independence is affirmed.”

Pentagon guidance and statements, as reported by Stars and Stripes (the paper itself), October 13, 2026 [1]. Our rating rests on that report and on independent coverage [2][4]; we did not see the guidance text itself.

Verdict: Misleading

What we found

On October 13, 2026 the Pentagon named Christian Devine, an executive director and principal adviser in its public affairs office, as acting publisher of Stars and Stripes, effective that day. He will split his time between the paper and the Pentagon, where he oversees public affairs policy and programs, until a permanent publisher is found [1].
On January 15, 2026, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members” [1][3]. The paper's report of that announcement also notes that, by law and Defense Department policy, the paper is to provide “a free flow of news and information to its readership without news management or censorship” [3].
In July, CBS Sunday Morning aired a segment in which editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte discussed editorial independence. On Friday, August 21, the Pentagon delivered separation notices to Slavin, Korte and publisher Max Lederer Jr., citing insubordination [2]. A wire report carried by the Anchorage Daily News says a Pentagon official had emailed Lederer demanding he fire the two journalists over the appearance [4].
Stars and Stripes reports that Lederer was fired in August after refusing to dismiss the editor and the reporter [1]. CBS adds that Lederer had already announced he would retire on September 30, citing “fundamental differences” with Pentagon leadership, before he received his notice [2]. Separately, the paper's ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, was fired earlier in the year by Parnell; the Washington Post reported it, and the ombudsman role is one Congress charged with safeguarding the paper's editorial independence (we saw this only in a summary of the Post article) [5].
CBS reports Stars and Stripes serves about 1.4 million daily readers, has a $29 million annual budget of which roughly half is funded by taxpayers, and is required by law and Defense Department policy to maintain editorial independence [2].

We rate the claim Misleading. It is true that the new Pentagon guidance “affirms the newspaper's editorial independence” [1]. But the same guidance requires content “consistent with good order and discipline” [1], the ombudsman who guarded independence has been fired [1][5], and the acting publisher's chair is now held by an official who works in the Pentagon's public affairs office [1]. A statement of independence on paper does not match that structure. We make no claim about anyone's intentions. We are describing who holds which job.

What they didn't tell you

The protection and the person who enforced it are gone. The ombudsman's role is to protect editorial integrity, and that position's holder was fired [1][5]. We found no report that the post has been refilled.
Two jobs, one person. A public affairs executive shapes the military's message. A newspaper's publisher oversees reporting on that military. Devine holds both at once, splitting his time between them [1]. The Pentagon has also placed Navy Capt. William Urban, an active-duty public affairs officer, as a deputy to the publisher, according to the same wire report [4].
The stated reason for the firings. The Pentagon cited insubordination over appearing on CBS. Slavin told CBS that his alleged offense was saying censorship would be a red line: “‘Don't run a perfectly accurate story, run this instead. Here it is, written by the Pentagon.’ That would be a red line” [2]. Korte said: “I'm working for Stars and Stripes. Not for the Pentagon, not for any administration, not for any policymaker” [2]. We report both the Pentagon's stated reason and theirs and do not decide between them. The wire report describes Slavin and Korte as dismissed over the CBS interview and says insubordination was cited for Lederer [4]; CBS says it was cited for all three [2]. That difference is unresolved.
The new publisher's own words. Devine says he has “a lot to learn” about working as publisher and is “honored to help and contribute to the Stripes mission.” He says he aims to “prioritize original reporting and content that is relevant and unique” to the military community [1]. We did not find a statement from him on editorial independence in the report we read.
The main source is the paper itself. Stars and Stripes is part of the organization in dispute, so we checked its account against CBS and the wire report [2][4].

What we still don't know

Who will be the permanent publisher, and will the ombudsman role be restored?
What does the full text of the new Pentagon guidance say about how independence is protected in practice?
Will the firings be reviewed by anyone outside the Pentagon, such as Congress? Three senators have already asked Defense Secretary Hegseth about the deputy appointment, according to a statement we saw only in search-result text.

Sources

Book connection: Escaping the Human Zoo, Ring 3 (Media). Press independence is judged here by structure and record, not by anyone's heart. Found an error? Corrections policy · Submit a claim