Pentagon dismisses leadership of military newspaper Stars and Stripes

The U.S. Department of Defense has ousted the top leadership of its military newspaper, Stars and Stripes, sparking concerns about editorial independence. Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin revealed he was dismissed for speaking out against military censorship in an interview and for upholding the principle that the newspaper must remain editorially independent.

Slavin, along with publisher Max Lederer and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte, received termination notices. Slavin stated he was accused of "lack of obedience" but maintained his stance on the publication's autonomy. The newspaper itself confirmed the departures.

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He was fired for opposing military censorship and asserting the newspaper's editorial independence.

This action by the Pentagon comes after it recently assigned an officer as a deputy to the publisher. Stars and Stripes, which has been published since World War II, is funded by U.S. taxpayers but has traditionally operated with editorial independence. During his first term, former President Donald Trump had previously reversed a Pentagon decision to cease publication of the newspaper.

The government has adopted increasingly restrictive measures against the media since the beginning of Trump's second term. In June, the Defense Department further tightened existing restrictions on journalists, prohibiting access to the Pentagon's press office for media representatives. New guidelines issued last fall also forbid journalists from publishing information not officially cleared by the Pentagon and prohibit interviewing unauthorized sources. While some of these measures were partially declared unconstitutional following a lawsuit by The New York Times, the recent leadership changes at Stars and Stripes suggest ongoing tensions between the military and its internal press.

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He was accused of "lack of obedience" but maintained his stance on the publication's autonomy.