US military newspaper editor voices censorship fears after being fired

The editor-in-chief of US military newspaper Stars and Stripes has told the BBC of his concern over censorship a day after being dismissed by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for "insubordination".

"This is a time when we really need to hear what's happening," Erik Slavin said, adding that Pentagon officials appeared to be "less and less inclined to speak on the record".

Slavin says he believes he was fired for having stated in an interview that "in a hypothetical situation, censorship would be a red line". A reporter and the paper's publisher were also sacked.

The Pentagon told the BBC it would not comment. But the sackings come amid tension between the Trump administration and the US media.

Even though partially funded by the Pentagon, Stars and Stripes has been editorially independent - through a congressional mandate and DoD rules.

The newspaper's Middle East reporter Lara Korte said she had also been told she was fired.

Both Slavin and Korte say their dismissals - both for insubordination - relate to an interview they gave to CBS's Sunday Morning programme last month, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Stars and Stripes reported that publisher Max Lederer was also fired.