Stars And Stripes Editor Says He’s Worried About Military Censorship—After Pentagon Fires Him For ‘Insubordination

Topline Erik Slavin, the editor-in-chief of military newspaper Stars and Stripes, told the BBC on Saturday that he's worried about censorship in the Pentagon after he was fired by the Department of Defense for “insubordination” in the wake of an unauthorized media appearance.

Slavin, who was in the top role at the paper for less than a year, told the BBC he thinks Pentagon officials are becoming "less and less inclined to speak on the record" despite living "in a time when we really need to hear what's happening."

Slavin said the defense department cited insubordination and an unauthorized media appearance as the reason for his dismissal and he said he thinks the firing was a direct response to a comment he made on CBS News calling censorship of news for service members "a red line” that cannot be crossed.

The firing comes about two weeks after Stars and Stripes reported on apparent suicide attempts from service members experiencing a near record-breaking deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which multiple military leaders and President Donald Trump repeatedly denied before agreeing to end the deployment.

Slavin said he didn’t know if the reporting about the Lincoln played a role in his dismissal, but his firing is the latest move by the Pentagon to stifle the news outlet’s editorial independence, according to the New York Times.

He was sent a termination notice alongside Lara Korte, a Middle East correspondent, and publisher Max Lederer, who earlier in the week announced he’d retire due to ongoing conflict with Pentagon leadership on the paper’s direction.

Korte said on X she thinks her dismissal, also blamed on "insubordination," had to do with comments she made during the same CBS News segment in which she said she worked for "Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker."

“I consider it a great privilege to live alongside members of the military and share their stories,” Korte said. “It’s a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press.”

The Pentagon hasn’t held a press conference since May , despite being involved in a high profile war in the Middle East that has been blamed for rising American gas prices and growing concerns over regional stability and U.S. military involvement abroad. The Pentagon in October attempted to enforce a strict media policy that would only allow outlets to report information officially authorised by the DoD, but major news outlets like the Times, Washington Post and CNN refused to comply. A federal judge later blocked the restrictions.

1.4 million. That's the daily number of readers and visitors to Stars and Stripes, according to the publication.