The Pentagon has placed a Department of Defense public affairs official in charge of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, a move that comes on the heels of the controversial dismissal of three staff members and intensifies scrutiny over the outlet's editorial independence.
Chris Devine, a retired Marine Corps colonel who most recently served as executive director and principal adviser for public affairs policy within the DOD's public affairs office, has been named acting publisher, according to a statement from Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell. Parnell touted Devine's "unmatched expertise, strategic vision, and a commitment to ensuring Stars and Stripes maintains editorial independence while delivering exclusive, mission-focused reporting that directly serves America's warfighters and their families."
In his interim role, Devine is expected to "provide decisive leadership to modernize Stars and Stripes and to strengthen its mission," Parnell added.
The appointment has raised alarms among press freedom advocates and some lawmakers, given that Stars and Stripes is owned and partially funded by the Pentagon but has historically operated with editorial autonomy. Devine, however, insisted he will uphold that tradition. "I am confident that Stripes can modernize its platform to prioritize original reporting and content that is relevant and unique to the U.S. military community and not typically covered by commercial media," he told the newspaper.
The leadership change follows the August firing of publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte. The Pentagon accused Slavin and Korte of insubordination for comments made during a CBS Sunday Morning interview. The three have since filed a federal lawsuit alleging violations of DOD personnel rules and the First Amendment.
This is not the first such controversy. In April, the Pentagon removed Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper's ombudsman, who later sued over her ouster. Smith had been responsible for overseeing editorial independence and reporting concerns to Congress.
The recent actions are part of a broader push by the Pentagon to steer the newspaper's coverage toward "warfighting" and away from what officials have described as "woke distractions." The DOD has also appointed Navy Capt. William Urban as deputy publisher, a decision that has drawn concern from some congressional Democrats.
On the same day the three staffers were fired, the Pentagon issued new guidance for Stars and Stripes, stating that the outlet will maintain "editorial operations independent of the military chain of command, military public affairs activities, or other external influences, free from censorship or propaganda," but must also "safeguard information by preventing the disclosure of classified information and controlled unclassified information and by avoiding the publication of material that would adversely affect national security or clearly endanger U.S. personnel."
The situation underscores the ongoing tension between the Pentagon's desire for control and the newspaper's long-standing role as an independent voice for the military community. As the legal challenges proceed, the future of Stars and Stripes' editorial freedom remains uncertain.
