US military newspaper editor voices censorship fears after being fired

Erik Slavin, editor-in-chief of US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, has expressed alarm over censorship measures following his dismissal for insubordination. The Pentagon has terminated Slavin, a reporter, and the paper's publisher amid growing tensions between the administration and the media. Both Slavin and a Middle East reporter at the paper claim their dismissals stem from an interview they provided to CBS's Sunday Morning programme, where they discussed censorship concerns.

Slavin, who has worked at Stars and Stripes for 21 years, asserts he received no official explanation for his firing and is contemplating his response, even though he is barred from appealing. The dismissals coincide with the Pentagon's absence of a press conference since May, and journalists' resistance to interference in their reporting.

Slavin cites the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran and the USS Abraham Lincoln's record-breaking deployment as potential factors. The National Press Club president called Slavin's firing a "brazen attempt by the Pentagon to dictate coverage of the military." Stars and Stripes, partially funded by the Pentagon yet maintaining editorial independence, reaches an average of 1.4 million people daily, mostly online.

The paper recently faced a policy rejection from major US news outlets that would have barred journalists from entering its premises unless they reported only authorised information.