Stars & Stripes editor Erik Slavin has accused the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) of shutting down free reporting after he was sacked for "insubordination".
According to Slavin — who has worked for the newspaper for 21 years — the firing followed an interview he gave to CBS’s Sunday Morning in which he said that a possible future censorship line could become a "red line". He added that Pentagon officials were becoming increasingly reluctant to speak openly about the fact that "this is a time when we really need to hear what's happening".
The DoD said it would not comment on the circumstances surrounding the dismissal, but the move came amid heightened friction between the Trump administration and the U.S. media. Other staff, including a reporter and the paper’s publisher Max Lederer, were also terminated, reportedly for the same reason.
Lederer, who had announced his retirement, said that his understanding of the paper’s mission diverged in "fundamental ways" from the Pentagon’s plans. Slavin and a Middle Eastern correspondent, Lara Korte, have said that their dismissals were linked to a CBS interview they gave last month. Both were denied a formal explanation of their sacking and were told that they could not appeal the decision.
The firing comes in a period of increased pressure on the Pentagon’s press pool, the last press conference having been held in May. Washington-based journalists have long complained of attempts by the DoD to restrict coverage or to dictate the narrative presented to the public and to service members.
The incident also follows a series of policy proposals in which the Trump administration and the Pentagon have sought to limit access to presidential events and to impose guidelines that restrict reporters to content that the DoD has officially authorized.
The 1.4 million daily readers of Stars & Stripes and its distribution to U.S. troops on land and at sea underscore the stakes of editorial freedom. Many view the paper’s forced editorial independence as essential for ensuring that soldiers receive factual and uncensored news.
For more details, see the original BBC report at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68551992.
