Voice of America (VoA) journalists sued the Trump administration on March 21, accusing it of unlawfully shutting down the U.S.-funded network that for decades has supplied news around the world.
The lawsuit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to gut funding for U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Earlier, RFE/RL sued the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) over the termination of grant funding, arguing that the step violates federal laws and the Constitution.
The lawsuit was brought against the USAGM and Kari Lake, who works as Trump's special adviser there, by six VoA reporters together with an international non-profit and non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders and unions representing federal employees, journalists, and foreign policy staffers in the U.S.
"Waste, fraud, and abuse run rampant in this agency and American taxpayers shouldn't have to fund it," Lake said as she announced the cuts on March 15.
As a result of the move, more than 900 full-time network employees were placed on indefinite leave and 550 contractors were terminated from their jobs, NPR reported.
According to NPR, at least two unnamed reporters who filed a suit might be forced to return to their home counties if USAGM is not operational, where they face risk of prosecution.
Trump's crackdown against RFE/RL and VoA has been celebrated by Russian propagandists, who long saw free media as their main threat.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
