Judge Orders Voice of America Restored as Kari Lake Faces Additional Staff Lawsuit Alleging Pro‑Trump Propaganda and Wartime Censorship
A federal judge ordered Voice of America journalists restored after many had been put on paid leave and the agency’s services were dramatically cut—a decision the administration is now appealing. In a separate March 23, 2026 lawsuit, four veteran VOA journalists allege Kari Lake and other USAGM officials pushed pro‑Trump propaganda and violated VOA’s editorial independence, citing contractor firings, cuts from 49 to six language services, canceled AP/Reuters contracts and a deal to carry One America News content, as well as specific instances they say show censorship and White House talking points driving coverage; USAGM defends aligning taxpayer‑funded broadcasts with U.S. policy and Lake has argued the traditional editorial firewall should be removed.
📌 Key Facts
- On March 23, 2026 four Voice of America journalists — Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong Hyuk Lee and Ksenia Turkova — filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., naming Kari Lake and acting USAGM CEO Michael Rigas and alleging illegal interference with VOA coverage and violations of statutory and constitutional protections for editorial independence.
- The plaintiffs say Lake and senior Trump appointees directed favorable coverage of the president, restricted critical reporting and otherwise redrew editorial lines, and provide on‑the‑record descriptions and quotes to document a broader pattern of alleged political control over content.
- The suit says steps taken after President Trump’s March 2025 executive order included firing contractors, placing more than 1,000 VOA employees on paid leave for about a year, and cutting VOA’s 49 language services down to six; a federal judge ordered the suspended journalists restored and the administration is now appealing that ruling.
- Plaintiffs allege Lake canceled Associated Press and Reuters contracts, negotiated to carry One America News Network content, and that VOA’s Persian service aired an hour‑long, effusively positive retrospective on Trump’s first year back in office as part of a broader pro‑Trump line on the Iran war.
- The complaint asserts remaining VOA transmissions to Iran, China, North Korea and Kurdish audiences now “parrot White House talking points” and suppress news the administration wants downplayed — including Iran war death tolls, broader international reaction, and even an elementary school bombing that was ‘barely mentioned’ in Persian coverage.
- The suit alleges an official installed by Lake to oversee Persian, Kurdish and Afghan services requires prior approval for all broadcast guests, a practice plaintiffs say undermines VOA’s editorial independence.
- USAGM responded that taxpayer‑funded broadcasting must reflect U.S. policy and the interests of the American people and that the agency is responsible for ensuring compliance with the VOA charter; Lake has previously testified to Congress that the firewall between government and VOA journalists should be eliminated so content is ‘in alignment with our foreign policy.’
📊 Relevant Data
Voice of America's global weekly audience reached 427 million people in Fiscal Year 2024, before significant reductions in services.
USAGM networks reached record global audience in FY 2024 according to new report — U.S. Agency for Global Media
Prior to the 2025 reductions, Voice of America was reaching approximately 361 million people worldwide each week across various platforms.
Measuring the loss of VOA around the world — Save VOA
Voice of America's Korean service targeted elites in North Korea, representing 10 to 15 percent of the population, via radio and internet.
VOA Broadcasting in Korean — Voice of America Office of Public Relations
The number of broadcast hours reaching North Korea from Voice of America and Radio Free Asia plummeted by 80% following 2025 changes.
Save VOA Facebook Post — Facebook
Voice of America's Kurdish service reached several million people each week in the Kurdish region before service reductions.
With VOA silenced, Kurdish region loses a key source of independent information — Save VOA
The second major wave of Chinese immigration to the United States began in the late 1970s, driven by China's economic reforms and global integration policies post-1979.
Chinese Immigrants to the US: Past and Present — Reimagining Migration
The largest migration of Kurds to North America occurred in the early 1990s in response to violence and turmoil in their native lands.
Kurds in North America — UPG North America
Iranian migration to the United States increased significantly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution due to political persecution and instability under the new regime.
Iranian Americans — Wikipedia
In 2023, 76% of U.S. reporting journalists were White, 8% Hispanic, 6% Black, and 3% Asian, compared to U.S. population demographics of approximately 59% White, 19% Hispanic, 13% Black, and 6% Asian.
US journalists' beats vary by gender, employment status, race and other factors — Pew Research Center
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- This article provides additional detail about the lawsuit’s specific allegations that VOA transmissions to Iran, China, North Korea and Kurdish audiences now 'parrot White House talking points' and suppress news the administration wants downplayed, including Iran war death tolls and an elementary school bombing.
- It notes that the lawsuit was filed by four VOA journalists — Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong Hyuk Lee and Ksenia Turkova — in U.S. District Court in Washington.
- The piece quotes Kari Lake’s prior congressional testimony more fully, including her statement that the firewall between government and VOA journalists should be eliminated and that content 'should be in alignment with our foreign policy,' and includes USAGM’s defense that taxpayer funds must support broadcasting that reflects U.S. policy and 'the interests of the American people.'
- It reiterates that hundreds of VOA journalists had been placed on paid leave for about a year and that a federal judge ordered them restored, with the administration now appealing that ruling.
- New AP/ABC article identifies four named VOA journalists — Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong Hyuk Lee and Ksenia Turkova — as plaintiffs in a fresh lawsuit filed March 23, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
- The suit alleges that remaining VOA transmissions to Iran, China, North Korea and Kurdish populations now ‘parrot White House talking points’ and suppress news the administration wants downplayed, including Iran war death tolls from U.S. airstrikes and broader international reaction.
- Plaintiffs say an official appointed by Kari Lake to oversee Persian, Kurdish and Afghan services requires prior approval for all broadcast guests, and that an elementary school bombing was ‘barely mentioned’ in Persian‑language coverage.
- USAGM responded that taxpayer-funded broadcasting must reflect U.S. policy and the interests of the American people, and reiterated that it is responsible for ensuring compliance with the VOA charter.
- The piece notes Lake previously told Congress the traditional firewall between government and VOA journalists should be eliminated so content can be kept ‘in alignment with our foreign policy.’
- New York Times reports that a group of Voice of America journalists have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Trump administration officials illegally interfered in VOA coverage and violated statutory and constitutional protections for its editorial independence.
- The suit details specific alleged actions by senior Trump appointees at USAGM and VOA—such as directing favorable coverage of the president and restricting critical reporting—as core examples of unlawful political control over content.
- The article adds further on-the-record descriptions and quotes from plaintiffs about how editorial lines were redrawn, how language services were pressured, and how internal resistance was handled, fleshing out the pattern of alleged interference beyond what was in earlier coverage.
- A new group of veteran Voice of America journalists has filed a separate lawsuit against Kari Lake and acting USAGM CEO Michael Rigas, alleging she is promoting pro‑Trump propaganda and violating statutory and constitutional safeguards for VOA’s editorial independence.
- The suit cites specific steps by Lake after Trump’s March 2025 executive order: firing contractors, putting more than 1,000 employees on paid leave, and cutting VOA’s 49 language services down to six.
- Plaintiffs allege Lake canceled Associated Press and Reuters contracts and negotiated a deal to carry One America News Network content, and that VOA’s Persian service aired an hour‑long, 'glowing' retrospective on Trump’s first year back in office featuring effusive praise, as part of a broader pro‑Trump line on the Iran war.