Max Lederer, the ousted publisher of a Pentagon-funded military newspaper, says he and two dismissed journalists will press forward with their legal fight against the Defense Department after a federal judge declined to halt their firings.
According to Mediaite, Lederer appeared on MS NOW with Jacob Soboroff on Saturday to respond to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFaddens Thursday ruling denying temporary restraining orders for himself, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East reporter Lara Korte.
The trio has sued the federal government, alleging they were unlawfully punished for coverage of deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during the carriers recent extended deployment.
Lederer acknowledged the legal setback but stressed that the broader constitutional challenge remains very much alive, calling the request for emergency relief a high bar and describing the ruling as only the first step.
It doesnt eliminate our basic suit. And 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 whats happening and what were experiencing and whats occurring, he said.
The dispute centers on reporting that appears to have irritated senior Pentagon public affairs officials, raising fresh concerns about government pressure on independent journalism even within military ranks under President Trumps second administration.
Lederer recounted receiving communications from Sean Parnell, the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, who was reportedly displeased with Slavin and Kortes work and later demanded their dismissal, a directive Lederer resisted to the point of offering his resignation.
He said he was admonished by Parnell for standing by his reporters and defending their right to speak.
I thought they were exercising their First Amendment rights, and I thought they were very responsible in their speech. He was not happy with that, and I was admonished for allowing them to do that, Lederer said.
Lederer further charged that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth prefers tightly controlled messaging over rigorous reporting, accusing him of seeking only soundbites instead of substantive coverage.
Soboroff pressed the issue by asking whether Hegseth effectively wanted propaganda from the military paper, a label Lederer hesitated to fully embrace even as he conceded it was a form of propaganda.
Ive not talked directly with Pete Hegseth, but I have had conversations with Sean Parnell, and Sean has told me that he has talked to Pete about it and what I understand about the direction is that they want more command information in there. They want information directly published and written by public affairs officials, Lederer said.
Isnt that propaganda though? Soboroff asked.
So in my mind, public affairs is not necessarily propaganda, but its a form of it, Lederer explained. I think its the definition of presenting your opinion to the audience. If its factually based on the public affairs office, then its just one side of the story. But if it goes beyond that to provide a particular viewpoint, then I think it does become propaganda.
The case now moves forward on the core First Amendment claims, setting up a pivotal test of whether Pentagon leadership can sideline journalists for reporting uncomfortable truths, or whether constitutional protections will prevail even inside the militarys own media ecosystem.
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