VOA staffers sue over Trumpian 'propaganda' and 'censorship'

Under Kari Lake, VOA suppressed coverage of protests in Iran and ran images of Trump "in the style of Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il," the lawsuit says.

This “pro-Trump propaganda” image, made with A.I., ran on VOA’s Chinese service, according to the lawsuit.

Voice of America staffers and free-expression groups filed a federal lawsuit on Monday stating that Kari Lake turned their “once-respected” news organization into a vehicle of “pro-Trump propaganda” and “censorship.”

“This is a case about censorship and propaganda carried out by the United States government,” the lawsuit, led by VOA’s Acting Director of the Central News Division Barry Newhouse, states. “It comes in the midst of an international crisis and conflict, when access to unbiased news and information, as mandated by the Constitution and by Congress, is crucial.”

‘Aped that totalitarian regime’

VOA staffers say that the Trump administration’s interference with their coverage stands in stark contrast to the stated goals of the war in Iran.

At the same time Trump urged the Iranian people to rise up against their government, VOA’s staffers say that the administration “has censored the news coming out of Iran: interviews, video footage, and stories about anti-government protests within Iran have been suppressed.”

“Reporting on certain elements in opposition to the Iranian regime have been banned from VOA’s Persian Service, rendering untrustworthy a once-respected source of independent news about Iran,” the lawsuit continues.

VOA staffers now say that the Trump administration’s clumsy censorship and propaganda “has aped that totalitarian regime,” referring to the Iranian government.

Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has been trying to dismantle Voice of America, a publicly funded broadcaster founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda. Trump appointed Lake to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the umbrella agency for VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other publicly funded international broadcasters.

Lake’s tenure, recently ruled illegal by a federal judge, involved the unlawful purging of more than 1,000 employees, and the plaintiffs include staffers put on administrative leave.

Senior U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, ordered the agency to restore those employees in a separate lawsuit.

The new lawsuit seeks to block the Trump administration from breaching VOA’s editorial firewall, which is protected by statute because Congress tried to ensure the independence of those newsrooms.

‘A partisan mouthpiece’

VOA staffers pulled no punches about how that tradition has been undermined.

Under Lake’s leadership, VOA has become “a partisan mouthpiece of the administration—requiring that it publish White House talking points nearly word-for-word, and disseminating images of President Trump in the style of Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il.”

Voice of America ran the “Dear Leader”-style artificial intelligence image of Trump in an article titled “Trump combined dealmaking skill with ‘peace through strength’ diplomacy to mitigate eight conflicts around the world in 2025.”

“The Dealmaking Article bears no resemblance to the high-quality, objective journalism VOA had produced without interruption for over 80 years,” the complaint states. “It has all the hallmarks of a White House press release or a partisan puff piece—and imagery worthy of North Korean propaganda.”

Almost exactly a year ago, Trump memorialized his vendetta against VOA in an executive order labeling it the “Voice of Radical America.” By installing Lake, Trump chose a former local TV anchor, twice failed politician, and prominent election denier who helped propagate his lies about the 2020 presidential election. Lake also falsely claimed that her own failed campaigns for Arizona governor and U.S. senator were rigged.

Once Lake’s appointment was ruled illegal, Trump nominated another controversial replacement, Under Secretary of State Sarah Rogers, who met with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Whoever is in charge, VOA staffers say, the newsroom’s firewall must be protected from “partisan interference by the Executive Branch.”

“It must enforce the First Amendment and the firewall that protects the credibility of American government journalism at this critical moment of international crisis,” the lawsuit said.

PEN America and Reporters Without Borders, which protect freedom of expression and the press, joined as co-plaintiffs. The defendants are Lake, the U.S. Agency for Global Media and USAGM’s Acting CEO Michael Rigas,

The lawsuit seeks a ruling blocking the breach of VOA’s editorial firewall as illegal and finding the administration violated reporters’ First Amendment rights.

Read the complaint in full here.