A newspaper created to report on the troops, for the troops, covered conditions aboard a carrier that had been deployed for months.
Then its leadership was reportedly told to silence the journalists doing the reporting.
Max Lederer had a choice.
He could have signed the order.
He could have kept the title, the salary, and stayed quiet.
He didn’t.
Instead, he chose his journalists, their independence, and the integrity of their work over his own job.
That’s what integrity looks like.
At a time when too many people are willing to sacrifice principle to protect their position, Max Lederer sacrificed his position to protect the principle.
This country could use a lot more of that.
Thank you, Max Lederer, for choosing what was right over what was easy.