Pentagon Fires Stars and Stripes Editor; Reporters Cite Retaliation for Independence

Published Aug 22, 08:48 PM UTC

Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, was fired by the Department of Defense for 'insubordination' following an unauthorized media appearance. Slavin told the BBC he fears growing censorship at the Pentagon, citing officials' reluctance to speak on record. His dismissal, along with that of correspondent Lara Korte and the retirement of publisher Max Lederer, follows the paper's reporting on suicide attempts aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during a record-breaking deployment—a crisis initially denied by President Trump and military leaders. The Pentagon recently rescinded a regulation guaranteeing a free flow of news and has not held a press conference since May, despite an ongoing Middle East war. Slavin and Korte believe the firings are retaliation for their defense of editorial independence.