Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor in press freedom dispute

The Pentagon has fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, the US military newspaper, for what it described as insubordination. It has also removed the newspaper’s long-serving publisher and a reporter, raising fresh concerns about editorial independence at the publication.

Read also: US court nullifies Trump visa ban on Nigeria, 74 other countries

Erik Slavin, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, said on Friday that he was dismissed after publicly warning that any attempt to censor news reaching US service members would cross a personal red line.

“According to the notice, I am being fired for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line,” Slavin said in a statement.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Pentagon had sent notices to the newspaper’s leadership informing them they would be removed. The source was not authorised to speak publicly.

Max Lederer, the newspaper’s long-serving publisher, was also removed, the source said. Lederer had been due to retire at the end of September.

Read also:Top 20 countries for doing business in 2026 and what puts them ahead

In an email announcing his retirement earlier this week, Lederer said it had become clear that the Pentagon had developed a new vision for Stars and Stripes that differed from his own.

Lara Korte, who covered the Middle East for the newspaper, also said on social media on Friday that she had been fired.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stars and Stripes has published continuously since World War Two and provides news to US troops stationed around the world. Although it receives funding from the US Department of Defense, the newspaper has historically maintained editorial independence from the military.

Read also: Cost-of-living crisis hits students hard on campus

The latest changes come after the Pentagon appointed a military deputy to the newspaper’s publisher, signalling a potentially closer role for the military in the publication’s operations.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell recently shared on X an excerpt from an open letter written by the newly appointed military deputy.

“We can do better,” the letter said, arguing that the newspaper must improve its reach and impact for US service members in a rapidly changing media environment.

The dismissals have drawn attention from press freedom advocates, who have also criticised wider changes under the Trump administration that have restricted journalists’ access to the Pentagon.

The developments have intensified concerns about the boundary between military oversight and independent journalism at a newspaper created to serve the information needs of American troops.