Lawsuit Calls Shutdown of Voice of America Illegal

A lawsuit filed late Friday accuses the Trump administration of unlawfully shutting down the Voice of America and asks a federal court to restore the outlet that for decades has supplied news about the US to nations around the world—including many that lack a free press of their own. The case, filed in US District Court in New York, was brought by Voice of America reporters, Reporters Without Borders, and a handful of unions against the US Agency for Global Media and Kari Lake, President Trump's representative there, the AP reports. "In many parts of the world, a crucial source of objective news is gone, and only censored state-sponsored news media is left to fill the void," the lawsuit says.

Lake has described the broadcast agency as a "giant rot" that needs to be stripped down and rebuilt, calling it in a post on X a "burden to the American taxpayer—a national security risk for the nation." Republicans have complained that the news source is infected by left-wing propaganda, a contention its operators say isn't backed up factually. Voice of America dates to World War II as a source of objective news, often beamed into authoritarian countries. Funded by Congress, it is protected by a charter that guarantees its product pass muster for journalistic rigor. The suit charges that the Trump administration has effectively shut it down unlawfully.

At VOA's sister operation, Radio Free Asia, unpaid furloughs took effect on Friday for roughly 240 people in the Washington office, or 75% of the staff members, spokesman Rohit Mahajan said. Radio Free Asia has also moved to cancel freelance contracts with people who helped the agency gather news overseas and expects to file a lawsuit to keep congressionally appropriated funding flowing, Mahajan said. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty filed suit on Tuesday, per the AP, asking US District Court in Washington to compel the Agency for Global Media to make its next payment. RFE/RL broadcasts in 23 countries across Europe and Asia in 27 languages.

(More Trump administration stories.)