Lederer memo cites ‘fundamental’ divergence from Pentagon direction
Max D. Lederer Jr. announced Tuesday he will retire as publisher of Stars and Stripes at the end of September, ending a decades-long career at the military newspaper, the Associated Press reported.
The announcement came in a memo to staff and in an interview with Stars and Stripes. In the memo, obtained by the AP, Lederer wrote that it had “become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”
Lederer is the second full-time civilian to hold the publisher position, according to the AP.
The retirement comes less than four months after the Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman, whose job it was to safeguard editorial independence.
Stars and Stripes is partly funded by the Defense Department but operates under a legacy of independence from military and government leadership, the AP reported.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has moved to exert editorial control over the publication and to eliminate what it asserts are “woke distractions,” the AP reported.