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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) joined a second lawsuit against the Trump administration on March 23, 2026, focused on protecting Voice of America's legally mandated editorial independence after earlier court victories blocked the administration's attempt to dismantle the broadcaster and its parent organisation, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The new legal action targets what RSF describes as the administration's effort to turn VOA into a government propaganda outlet.
Background: The First Lawsuit and Its Outcome
The Trump administration moved in early 2025 to effectively shut down Voice of America by gutting USAGM, placing the agency under the control of political appointees, and placing most VOA staff on administrative leave. RSF and allied organisations filed an initial lawsuit challenging these actions. The court ruled that the administration's attempt to dismantle VOA and USAGM was illegal, delivering a significant legal victory for press freedom advocates and reinstating VOA's operations.
Following that ruling, the Trump administration shifted strategy: rather than eliminating VOA, it moved to assert political control over the broadcaster's editorial content. Under the leadership of Kari Lake, appointed to head USAGM, the administration sought to reshape VOA's coverage to align with administration talking points — a move RSF says directly contradicts the statutory mandate that requires VOA to operate as an editorially independent and credible news organisation.
The court has reaffirmed what we knew all along: Donald Trump and Kari Lake's attempt to dismantle VOA and USAGM was illegal. The fight is not over, though. The Trump administration has made clear that if it can't eliminate VOA, it wants to turn it into a political propaganda machine. That is at odds with VOA's mission to provide reliable information to millions around the world who lack access to credible news.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), March 23, 2026
Global Stakes: VOA as a Press Freedom Asset
Voice of America broadcasts in 48 languages to an estimated 354 million people weekly, reaching audiences in countries where independent media is suppressed, censored, or non-existent. RSF argues that the erosion of VOA's editorial independence would not only betray those audiences but would also undermine the credibility of US democracy promotion globally — handing authoritarian governments a powerful propaganda tool to point to when justifying their own restrictions on independent media.
Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
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