🔗 Share this article

An federal judge has ruled that the effective closure of the Voice of America last year was against the law and has commanded the return of many of its reporters.

Court Mandate Sets One-Week Deadline

District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government seven days to put the international broadcaster back on air.

Wartime Origins and Recent Closure

The VOA was originally set up during World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda.

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive to defund the broadcaster, which his officials accused of left-wing bias. The order also included outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.

Management Changes and Widespread Dismissals

President Trump appointed Kari Lake to run the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that oversees and funds the VOA and other networks.

Lake proceeded to fire the vast majority of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—leaving just a small number of employees remaining.

Most of the dismissed staff have been on paid administrative leave since last year. This even applied to Persian Service reporters who were temporarily|called back to work after Israel attacked Iran last June.

Court’s Reasoning and Ruling

Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake did not have the authority to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.

In this week's decision, the judge described the decision to fire the journalists as unreasonable and impulsive, adding that the government had not taken into account legislation that dictate what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“Defendants have provided nothing approaching a reasonable basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

Journalists’ Lawsuit and Response

Three VOA journalists had sued the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being profoundly thankful for the judge's decision.

“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she said to the Associated Press.

Unclear Next Steps and Broader Context

It is not clear if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.

Before being wound down, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.

Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his broader criticism of the US media, which studies suggest American news consumers view as highly polarised.