Editor of US newspaper Stars and Stripes reportedly fired under Trump

What the report says

The Pentagon has dismissed the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, Erik Slavin, along with one of the U.S. military newspaper’s top reporters, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing Slavin and The Associated Press. The action came amid a broader leadership shake-up at the publication, which is funded by the Defense Department but has long been expected to operate with editorial independence. Al Jazeera also reported that longtime publisher Max Lederer received a separation notice after previously saying he planned to retire later in the year.

Slavin said he believed the firing was connected to his public defense of the paper’s independence and to comments he made in a CBS interview about censorship. The report says he had argued that the newspaper must remain editorially independent under law and Pentagon policy. The story places the move in the context of the Trump administration’s second term, during which press freedom advocates have raised concerns about tighter controls at the Pentagon and other clashes with news organizations.

The article adds that Stars and Stripes had recently drawn attention for coverage of conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, including reports involving sailors’ mental health. Pentagon officials and some administration figures have criticized the paper’s direction, while press freedom groups and Democratic senators have warned that the newsroom’s independence is being weakened. Al Jazeera also noted prior changes, including the firing of the paper’s ombudsman and the appointment of a Pentagon spokesperson as deputy publisher.