US military newspaper editor voices censorship fears after being fired

What the report says

Erik Slavin, the editor-in-chief of the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, told the BBC he fears censorship is increasing after the US Department of Defense fired him for what it described as insubordination. Slavin said he believes the dismissal followed an interview in which he said that, in a hypothetical situation, censorship would be a “red line.” The paper’s Middle East reporter, Lara Korte, said she was also told she was being fired, and Stars and Stripes reported that publisher Max Lederer was dismissed as well.

According to BBC reporting, the firings came during a period of tension between the Trump administration and the US media. Slavin said he had not been given a formal explanation and could not appeal the decision. He also said Pentagon officials seemed increasingly reluctant to speak on the record, at a time when the department had not held a press conference since May.

Stars and Stripes is partly funded by the Pentagon but has historically operated with editorial independence under congressional mandate and Defense Department rules. The newspaper serves US troops around the world and reaches a large audience, mainly online, while also being printed overseas for personnel with limited internet access. Press freedom advocates quoted by the BBC criticized the move, while the Pentagon declined to comment.