A federal lawsuit says the Trump administration has unlawfully shuttered the Voice of America
Source: AP
Updated 8:38 PM EDT, March 21, 2025
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 United States to nations around the world — including many that lack a free press of their own.
The case, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, was brought by Voice of America reporters, Reporters Without Borders and a handful of unions against the U.S. Agency for Global Media and Kari Lake, the failed Arizona candidate who is President Trump’s representative there.
“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 said. Lake has described the broadcast agency as a “giant rot” that needs to be stripped down and rebuilt.
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.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/voice-america-free-press-trump-lawsuit-lake-6c88792addbfd651d1d06b8705fd8e10
Link to Government Accountability Project PRESS RELEASE - Journalists, Federal Workers, and Unions File Lawsuit to Challenge Closure of U.S. Agency for Global Media
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Widakuswara-v.-Lake-Complaint-No.-25-Civ.-2390.pdf