Stars and Stripes publisher Max D. Lederer Jr. to retire amid Pentagon editorial clash

Max D. Lederer Jr. announced he will step down as publisher of Stars and Stripes at the end of September, explaining in a staff memo that his ideas about leadership and the newspaper’s mission clash with the Department of Defense’s current course. Lederer, only the second full-time civilian in the role, had voiced concerns about the Pentagon’s plan to shift the paper to a digital-only format and to eliminate content deemed “woke.”

His exit comes less than four months after the firing of Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman tasked with protecting editorial independence. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has publicly stated the service aims to refocus the outlet on war-fighting, weapons systems and other military topics, discarding previous “DC gossip” and AP reprints. The changes are part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s broader effort to exert tighter control over media coverage, including recent policies requiring escorts for journalists on Pentagon grounds that are being litigated. Critics, including former ombudsman Smith and advisory board chair Rufus Friday, warn the moves threaten the paper’s historic independence dating back to the Civil War.