A US court has ruled that the effective shuttering of the VOA last year was “illegal” and has directed the reinstatement of hundreds of its staff.
Court Order Sets One-Week Timeline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government seven days to put the international broadcaster back on air.
Wartime Origins and Trump-Era Shutdown
The VOA was first created during World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi disinformation.
Only a short time after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive to close the broadcaster, which his officials accused of political bias. The order also included outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be phased out as much as legally possible.
Management Changes and Widespread Firings
President Trump named Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that manages and finances the VOA and related networks.
Lake then sack more than 85% of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA alone—leaving just 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 Reasoning and Decision
Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake lacked the authority to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.
In this week's ruling, the 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 stated in his opinion.
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 continue to support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she said to the Associated Press.
Unclear Future and Broader Implications
It is uncertain if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.
Before being wound down, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.
Trump's criticisms of the VOA form part of his broader criticism of the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.
