A US court has determined that the effective closure of the VOA last year was “illegal” and has commanded the reinstatement of many of its journalists.
Court Mandate Sets One-Week Deadline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government seven days to restore the broadcaster's operations.
Historical Roots and Recent Shutdown
The VOA was originally set up in World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda.
Only a short time after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order to shut down the broadcaster, which his administration claimed had left-wing 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.
Management Changes and Widespread Firings
President Trump named Kari Lake to run the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that manages and finances the VOA and related networks.
Lake proceeded to terminate over 85 percent of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a small number of employees remaining.
Most of the affected 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.
Judge’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 approved by the US Senate.
In Tuesday's decision, the judge described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had not taken into account legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“The government have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.
Reporters’ Lawsuit and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being deeply grateful 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.
Uncertain Next Steps and Broader Implications
It is not clear if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.
Prior to its shutdown, the VOA transmitted TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.
Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his broader attacks against the US media, which studies suggest American news consumers view as highly polarised.
