Lawsuit Challenges Trump Shutdown of Voice of America \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Voice of America journalists, unions, and Reporters Without Borders have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its abrupt shutdown of the agency. The suit accuses officials of unlawfully dismantling a critical global news source. Plaintiffs seek restoration of VOA and sister networks that provide objective journalism in authoritarian regions.
Quick Looks:
- Plaintiffs include Voice of America journalists, unions, and Reporters Without Borders.
- The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of unlawfully shutting down VOA.
- Filed in U.S. District Court in New York late Friday.
- VOA, established in World War II, broadcasts objective news globally.
- Lawsuit claims a “chainsaw” approach taken by Trump officials.
- Kari Lake, Trump’s appointee, described VOA as “rotten fish.”
- Lake also criticized the U.S. Agency for Global Media as “irretrievably broken.”
- Radio Free Asia imposed unpaid furloughs on 240 staffers Friday.
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also filed a funding-related lawsuit this week.
- Lawsuit argues shutdown undermines press freedom worldwide.
- Radio Free Asia and RFE/RL both risk ceasing operations without funding.
- No response yet from the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
- Plaintiffs warn of authoritarian states filling the news void left by VOA.
- Lawsuit demands restoration of funding and agency operations.
Deep Look
The abrupt dismantling of Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S. government-funded international media outlets by the Trump administration has sparked legal action and intensified global concerns over the erosion of press freedom. A coalition of Voice of America journalists, media unions, and Reporters Without Borders filed a lawsuit late Friday in the U.S. District Court in New York, alleging that the shutdown violates both U.S. law and congressional mandates protecting the independence of these institutions.
For decades, VOA has served as a vital source of objective, fact-based reporting, broadcasting to audiences in countries with limited or censored media landscapes. Created during World War II, VOA has provided unbiased reporting to citizens of authoritarian regimes, countering propaganda with reliable information. Its charter, approved by Congress, mandates editorial independence and journalistic rigor, shielding it from political interference.
However, the lawsuit contends that the Trump administration has now torn down these protections in what plaintiffs call a “chainsaw” approach, shutting down broadcasts and freezing operations with no regard for the outlet’s global significance. At the center of the controversy is Kari Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate and Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Lake has publicly derided the agency and VOA itself, calling it “a rotten fish” and claiming it is a “national security risk” in statements to Newsmax and on social media.
The Trump administration had already frozen $400 million in research and media grants earlier this month, citing alleged ideological bias and mismanagement within the agency. On Friday, the lawsuit revealed that as part of these sweeping measures, unpaid furloughs were imposed at Radio Free Asia (RFA), leaving 240 staff members — about 75% of the Washington D.C. workforce — without pay. RFA has since canceled freelance contracts with foreign correspondents, severely impairing its ability to report on critical events in Asia.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), another pillar of U.S.-funded global media, filed its own lawsuit this week in federal court, arguing that the suspension of congressionally appropriated funds threatens its survival. RFE/RL broadcasts to 23 countries in 27 languages and has been a critical counter-voice in regions where Russian and Chinese state media dominate. The lawsuit states that without funding, “RFE/RL will be forced to cease the vast majority of its journalistic work.”
The Trump administration’s drastic measures come amid intensifying criticism of international media outlets for what Trump and his allies claim is partisan bias. Lake has been particularly vocal, describing the agency as “irretrievably broken” and in need of a complete overhaul. Critics argue that these moves are a thinly veiled attempt to purge institutions that deliver fact-based news that does not align with Trump’s narratives.
Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders in the United States, said the lawsuit was filed to prevent the destruction of essential global press outlets. “Voice of America and its sister agencies are lifelines to truth for millions living under oppressive regimes,” he said. “Their silence would leave an information void filled only by state-run propaganda.”
The impact of these closures is already being felt worldwide. In regions like Central Asia, North Africa, and parts of Eastern Europe, audiences are left without access to unbiased reporting. Authoritarian regimes have seized on the opportunity, ramping up their own disinformation campaigns and tightening their grip on media channels.
Legal scholars and media watchdogs argue that the Trump administration’s actions violate U.S. law. The International Broadcasting Act of 1994 explicitly mandates that outlets like VOA and RFE/RL operate independently of political influence. The lawsuit contends that the abrupt shutdown of funding and suspension of operations violate these legal protections and congressional intent.
Despite mounting lawsuits and global concern, the Trump administration has not reversed course. The U.S. Agency for Global Media has not commented publicly on the legal filings. Meanwhile, White House officials have doubled down on their support for Lake, with spokesperson Kush Desai calling her leadership “bold, necessary reform in the face of bureaucratic decay.”
Analysts warn that the implications of these actions could ripple far beyond America’s borders. “When the U.S. sets this kind of example, it emboldens authoritarian governments worldwide to suppress press freedom,” said media analyst Jennifer Griffin. “It damages the credibility of the U.S. as a defender of free speech.”
Protests have erupted in several countries where U.S.-funded media have gone silent, with civil society groups calling on the Biden administration and Congress to intervene. However, with current congressional gridlock and the absence of key oversight leaders — many of whom were dismissed by Trump — prospects for immediate resolution appear uncertain.
Media advocates fear that the longer the silence persists, the more ground will be lost to authoritarian propaganda. In Venezuela, Belarus, and parts of the Middle East, independent journalists are now struggling to counter disinformation without the support and partnership previously offered by VOA and other U.S.-funded outlets.
Meanwhile, congressional leaders have expressed concern. Several bipartisan members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have called for emergency hearings to investigate the legality of the shutdowns and potential violations of U.S. law.
As legal battles intensify and international pressure mounts, the future of Voice of America and its sister organizations remains uncertain. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are calling for immediate court intervention to restore funding and operations. Without swift action, they warn, the world could lose one of its most reliable sources of independent, fact-based journalism — and with it, a vital tool in the fight against authoritarianism and disinformation.
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