They went to court fighting for the ability to lie and present it as news, and won the case.
Also regarding your friends who abandoned their post
What is dereliction of duty?
Dereliction of duty
Dereliction of duty is a specific offense under United States Code Title 10, Section 892, Article 92 and applies to all branches of the US military. A service member who is derelict has willfully refused to perform his duties or has incapacitated himself in such a way that he cannot perform his duties