Slavin, Korte dismissed after CBS interview on military censorship
Three staff members of the military news outlet Stars and Stripes filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Pentagon, accusing the Trump administration of violating their First Amendment rights to speak out against government interference in their work. The suit was filed in Washington, D.C.
The plaintiffs are Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte. The Pentagon, which partially funds the news outlet, fired them last week. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the suit’s allegations.
According to the lawsuit, Slavin says he was dismissed for insubordination after giving an interview to CBS News in which he objected to potential censorship by the U.S. military. Korte participated in the same interview. Their lawsuit says they were punished in retaliation for publishing a report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
Stars and Stripes is a military news outlet that the Pentagon partially funds.