All articles tagged with #erik slavin
The editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, Erik Slavin, along with a reporter and the paper’s publisher, was fired by the DoD for insubordination after an interview suggesting censorship could be a red line. Slavin warns of a chilling climate with less on-the-record Pentagon commentary, while the DoD declined to comment and the paper’s independence remains under scrutiny.
The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte, along with long-time publisher Max Lederer, after leadership publicly defended the paper’s editorial independence amid tensions with Defense Department policy. Slavin says the firing followed remarks about censorship in a CBS interview, while the Pentagon frames it as refocusing Stars and Stripes on its original mission to report for warfighters. The shake-up, which also saw ombudsman Jacqueline Smith fired and Deputy Publisher William Urban appointed, drew criticism from press groups and lawmakers who warn the move undermines independent military journalism.