Justice temporarily halts decision to close VOA

A U.S. judge blocked President Donald Trump's administration’s efforts to shut down Voice of America (VOA), an international government-funded broadcaster, on Friday. 

U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken issued a temporary restraining order in a case filed by VOA employees, their unions and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in federal court in New York.

U.S. Agency for Global Media special counsel Kari Lake said Friday in an X post that she wants to modernize VOA to "make it more efficient and make sure that, instead of disseminating anti-U.S. propaganda, it disseminates information aligned with our diplomatic policies."

This month the Trump administration announced the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), parent of VOA - among other government-funded media outlets. The move is part of its goal of "reducing federal bureaucracy.”

Likewise, the administration had already begun massive layoffs at VOA and other state-funded media outlets.

The day after all employees were put on notice, contractor staff received an email, notifying them that the layoffs would be effective as of March 31.

In a statement, the White House explained that this move "will allow taxpayers to no longer be exposed to radical propaganda" from the left, as conveyed by these media outlets.