In the United States, the purge of public media ordered by Donald Trump is being questioned by the courts. On Tuesday, a federal American judge ordered the resumption of Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts and the reinstatement of over 1,000 employees who were laid off last June, in a decision that reignites this sensitive issue regarding the international public media.
Judge Royce Lamberth demanded that 1,042 employees, placed on paid administrative leave for a year, be reinstated by March 23. He also instructed the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, to present a plan to resume broadcasts internationally.
This ruling comes ten days after a previous order by the same judge, which deemed illegal the appointment of the person in charge of overseeing these layoffs, appointed by President Donald Trump. This invalidation effectively questioned all the dismissals.
Kari Lake, a former television presenter appointed at the head of the USAGM, had announced significant budget and staff reductions affecting VOA, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Free Asia.
Employees of VOA who initiated the complaint welcomed the court’s decision. “We look forward to repairing the damage caused by Kari Lake to our agency and colleagues, returning to our mission entrusted by Congress, and regaining the trust of the global audience we were unable to serve in the past year,” they stated.
Founded during World War II, Voice of America aimed to broadcast ‘the voice of America’ abroad, particularly in authoritarian countries, alongside Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. The US government indicated that it intends to appeal the court’s decision regarding the illegal appointment.
