Former Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer stated he and two other journalists will continue their legal battle against the Pentagon after a judge ruled against their efforts to halt their terminations. The dismissals followed the military newspaper's reporting on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Lederer, Middle East reporter Lara Korte, and editor-in-chief Erik Slavin were fired for insubordination by the Pentagon, which partially funds the outlet. The firings occurred after Slavin and Korte objected to potential censorship by the U.S. military during a CBS News interview.
Lederer told MS NOW that he believed Slavin and Korte were exercising their First Amendment rights responsibly. However, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell reportedly expressed displeasure with their statements. Parnell was allegedly unhappy with reporting by Slavin and Korte concerning a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been at sea for over 250 days due to the Iran conflict. Multiple service members reportedly attempted to jump overboard during the extended deployment, a situation chronicled by Stars and Stripes and the Military Times.
The CBS News interview that aired on July 5 also apparently angered Parnell.
In August, Parnell's principal deputy, Andrew Brey, sent Lederer an email instructing him to fire Slavin and Korte for allegedly providing their personal opinions. Lederer responded by questioning why their comments were not protected by the First Amendment but was subsequently told to terminate them immediately.
Lederer revealed that he was fired after informing the Pentagon he would resign rather than dismiss Slavin and Korte. The trio subsequently filed a lawsuit against Parnell, Brey, the Department of Defense, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, challenging their terminations.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled on Thursday that the journalists were unlikely to prove the Pentagon violated their free speech rights and denied their requests for restraining orders to block their dismissals. Lederer noted that this ruling does not affect their broader lawsuit.
"Our basic suit is that we believe under the First Amendment, we have a right to give our personal opinion, as any other government employee does or any citizen does, about what’s happening and what we’re experiencing and what’s occurring," Lederer said.
Lederer also commented on the Pentagon's stance, referencing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's assertion that reports on the Lincoln's conditions were "completely misrepresented." Lederer suggested that without proper reporting, the Pentagon might resort to releasing only "soundbites."
Lederer indicated that the Pentagon desires more "command information" in reporting and prefers content written by public affairs officials. He characterized such content as potentially leaning towards propaganda, especially if it presents a particular viewpoint rather than just factually based information from one side of a story.