The editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes says he’s been fired by the Pentagon, along with the publisher and a reporter, after he spoke out against censorship.
Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of the military newspaper which receives partial funding from the Pentagon while maintaining a history of editorial independence, told The Associated Press that he and others received separation notices.
The moves come as the Trump administration has become increasingly aggressive toward the news media after having sharply curtailed press corps access at the Pentagon. The executive branch has also engaged in policy and court disputes with The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and The New York Times, while using the FCC to target broadcast networks.
Slavin said he was fired "for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line." He added that he stands by the principle "that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent."
The Trump administration has been increasingly aggressive and combative toward the news media(Getty)
Earlier this week, publisher Max Lederer announced his retirement effective at the end of September. Slavin said Lederer also received a separation notice, as did Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
Lederer made his decision weeks after the Pentagon assigned an active duty service member as deputy publisher beneath him without his prior knowledge. On Thursday, three Democratic senators wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking why the new deputy was appointed.
Lederer, who spent 30 years at the newspaper and served as publisher since 2007, departs as Hegseth’s Pentagon moves to exert editorial control and eliminate what it labels "woke distractions."
In a staff memo, Lederer, the second full-time civilian publisher, wrote that it had "become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization."
In April, the Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the paper's ombudsman whose role was safeguarding editorial independence.
