Stars and Stripes publisher announces retirement, citing displeasure with Pentagon’s direction of outlet

Max Lederer, the publisher of Stars and Stripes for nearly 20 years, is retiring over issues related to how the Pentagon is directing coverage of the outlet under the Trump administration.

Lederer, who announced the decision Tuesday, has been with Stars and Stripes in some capacity since 1992 and took over as publisher in 2007 — only the second full-time civilian to have the role.

He said he was stepping down as of Sept. 30 because his philosophy of leadership and “understanding of the value and mission” of the organization is different in “fundamental ways” from plans the Defense Department has for the outlet, Stars and Stripes reported. 

“I have thought a great deal about the right time to step aside, and I have concluded that this is it,” he said in a note to staff, according to the outlet. “I leave with real pride in what we have accomplished together and with complete confidence in what you will accomplish next.” 

The Pentagon in President Trump’s second term has sought to reshape Stars and Stripes’s editorial output, outlining changes in an eight-page March memo that included a requirement that content be “consistent with good........

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