The editor-in-chief of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes was fired by the Pentagon on Aug. 21 after condemning "hypothetical censorship" in an interview, multiple news outlets reported.
Erik Slavin told the Associated Press and The Washington Post he was dismissed for insubordination after a CBS interview in which he said such censorship would "constitute a red line." He maintained that the newspaper "must remain editorially independent."
The Pentagon also fired publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, according to the news outlets. CBS News had reported earlier in the week that the Pentagon was considering firing Lederer, citing unnamed administration officials.
In an Aug. 21 X post, Korte said her firing came after telling
a CBS reporter "that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker."
The firings come months after the Pentagon dismissed the newspaper's ombudsman, a position Congress established in 1991 to protect its editorial independence.
Stars and Stripes' website says about half of its funding comes from the Defense Department and that it is "governed by the principles of the First Amendment." The Pentagon has been accused of violating those principles throughout President Donald Trump's second term, with ongoing lawsuits related to the press policy it implemented in 2025 and the removal of hundreds of books from its schools over perceived "wokeness."
National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. called Slavin's dismissal "another brazen attempt by the Pentagon to dictate coverage of the military" in an Aug. 21 news release and called for the decision to be reversed.
"In firing the editor of Stars and Stripes, Pentagon leadership is making clear their view that the newsroom should exist not as an independent outlet whose reporting serves to benefit U.S. troops, but as a mouthpiece to parrot Pentagon talking points," Schoeff said.
The Pentagon did not immediately return a request for comment.
This is a developing story.
BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.
USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes editor after censorship comments
