Erik Slavin, editor‑in‑chief of the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, says he was dismissed a day after warning that censorship would be a red line in a CBS interview.
He told the BBC that Pentagon officials were increasingly reluctant to speak on record.
Both Slavin and a Middle East reporter named Lara Korte were fired for “insubordination”, with the publisher Max Lederer also sacked for disagreeing with Pentagon plans.
Stars and Stripes, partially funded by the Department of Defense but editorially independent, has a congressional mandate that protects its reporting.
The rebuttal follows a Trump‑era policy that would bar journalists from covering the military unless they stick to DoD‑approved content.
The firing comes amid a broader dispute over press access, with the White House taking control of the presidential press pool and major outlets rejecting new DoD rules.
Slavin’s comments echo fears that a shrinking press conference schedule and the removal of “in‑depth” reporting could stifle transparency for service members.
His dismissal follows a time when many soldiers on the USS Abraham Lincoln have spoken about mental health challenges after long deployments.
