Voice of America (VoA) journalists sued the Trump administration on March 21, accusing it of unlawfully shutting down the U.S.-funded community that for many years has equipped information all over the world.
The lawsuit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an government order to intestine funding for U.S. Company for World Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Earlier, RFE/RL sued the USA Company for World Media (USAGM) over the termination of grant funding, arguing that the step violates federal legal guidelines and the Structure.
The lawsuit was introduced towards the USAGM and Kari Lake, who works as Trump's particular adviser there, by six VoA reporters along with a world non-profit and non-governmental group Reporters With out Borders and unions representing federal workers, journalists, and overseas coverage staffers within the U.S.
"Waste, fraud, and abuse run rampant on this company and American taxpayers shouldn't need to fund it," Lake mentioned as she introduced the cuts on March 15.
On account of the transfer, greater than 900 full-time community workers had been positioned on indefinite depart and 550 contractors had been terminated from their jobs, NPR reported.
In keeping with NPR, a minimum of two unnamed reporters who filed a go well with is likely to be compelled to return to their residence counties if USAGM shouldn’t be operational, the place they face danger of prosecution.
Trump's crackdown towards RFE/RL and VoA has been celebrated by Russian propagandists, who lengthy noticed free media as their important menace.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek