🔗 Share this article

A federal court has ruled that the practical shutdown of the VOA last year was unlawful and has directed the reinstatement of hundreds of its journalists.

Judicial Order Sets 7-Day Timeline

Federal Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities seven days to get the VOA broadcasting again.

Wartime Roots and Recent Shutdown

The VOA was originally created in World War Two to combat Nazi propaganda.

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive to defund the broadcaster, which his administration accused of political bias. The order also targeted networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be phased out as much as legally possible.

Leadership Shake-Up and Mass Firings

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

Lake proceeded to sack the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA alone—with only a small number of employees in their jobs.

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 Rationale and Decision

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

In this week's decision, the federal judge described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had failed to consider legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“The government have provided no a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

Journalists’ Legal Challenge and Reaction

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 journalism, not propaganda,” she said to reporters.

Uncertain Next Steps and Broader Implications

It is uncertain if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.

Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.

Trump's attacks of the VOA are part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.