Pentagon sacks military newspaper chiefs over editorial freedom row

The US Pentagon has fired the editor-in-chief, publisher, and a reporter of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. According to Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, he was let go for stating in a CBS interview that hypothetical censorship of news for service members would constitute a personal red line.

The firings come after the Pentagon installed Navy Captain William Urban as the outlet's deputy editor, without the prior knowledge of Publisher Max Lederer. Lederer had announced his intention to retire from his position in September, stating that it was clear the Pentagon had a new vision for the newspaper that differed from his own.

Middle East reporter Lara Korte also confirmed her firing on social media, saying it was due to her telling a CBS reporter that she works for Stars and Stripes, not the Pentagon. The newspaper, which has been publishing since World War II, receives funding from the Defense Department but has historically maintained editorial independence.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, DW News, DW English (Top Stories), Jerusalem Post — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.