Erik Slavin, former editor-in-chief of the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes, was abruptly dismissed by the Pentagon on Friday for “insubordination” over a CBS News interview that aired July 5.
In the interview, Slavin said hypothetical censorship at Stars and Stripes would be a “red line” for him.
His separation notice also cited an administrative violation for giving an unauthorized interview; Slavin told Axios he had always notified his supervisor, the publisher. The Pentagon had never previously objected to any of his many media interviews.
Publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte were also removed. Slavin said he has been vocal about limited access to the Pentagon under the current administration but never felt pressure from the government to alter his reporting. “We have always reported to the highest standards of journalism,” he said.
That independence has enabled major stories, including recent reports on a mental health crisis involving the USS Abraham Lincoln. Slavin noted his separation notice arrived about 10 days after the outlet’s initial story on that issue.
The dismissals follow a series of Pentagon moves to tighten press coverage and control information. In January, Defense Department chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department planned to “refocus” the paper’s content “away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members.”