Voice of America employees sue the US Agency for Global Media over funding cut

Voice of America (VOA) employees have filed a lawsuit against the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), claiming that the shutdown of the US government-funded media violates the right to freedom of speech and journalism guaranteed by the US Constitution.

This is stated in a statement by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international organization that fights for press freedom and the protection of journalists around the world. It opposes censorship and helps journalists who are at risk because of their work.

Reporters Without Borders, along with the VOA staff, has filed a lawsuit against USAGM, the federal agency that oversees Voice of America. The lawsuit also targets the agencyʼs senior adviser Kari Lake and acting director general Victor Morales.

They demand that the liquidation of Voice of America be immediately stopped and that employees be returned to work.

“Authoritarian regimes like the Kremlin and the Chinese Communist Party are loudly cheering the death of Voice of America. It is clear that Donald Trump’s actions will contribute to a harsher crackdown on journalists and press freedom, putting the staff, correspondents, volunteers and supporters of Voice of America and Radio Liberty, as well as their supporters, at greater risk,” said the director of Reporters Without Borders Clayton Weimers.

What preceded

On March 14, the US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reduce the activities of seven government agencies, including USAGM. It is in charge of foreign broadcasting and oversees, among others, the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. This was followed by an announcement that the US Congress approved a grant that finances the activities of these media outlets.

All Voice of America employees have been placed on administrative leave. This includes more than 1 300 journalists, producers, and support staff.

• Earlier, American billionaire and head of the new US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk called for the closure of Radio Liberty and Voice of America. At the time, he said that no one listens to Radio Liberty and Voice of America, and called these media outlets “crazy left-wing radicals who talk to themselves, burning $1 billion a year of US taxpayer money”. The US government has historically portrayed Voice of America as a counterweight to foreign propaganda and a model of free, honest, truthful news coverage.

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