Six Voice of America (VOA) journalists have filed a lawsuit against Trump administration officials, accusing them of illegally shutting down the federally funded media outlet.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the Southern District of New York, seeks a court order to restore the agency, effectively reversing part of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month that dismantled the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA.
The lawsuit is backed by Reporters Without Borders and four labor organizations. It names USAGM Acting CEO Victor Morales and Special Adviser Kari Lake as defendants. The plaintiffs argue that Trump’s decision to dismantle the media agency violates the First Amendment and exceeds his presidential authority, asserting that Congress alone has oversight over USAGM, as it created and funds the agency.
“In many parts of the world a crucial source of objective news is gone, and only censored state-sponsored news media is left to fill the void,” the complaint said. “What is happening to the VOA Journalists is not just the chilling of First Amendment speech; it is a government shutdown of journalism, a prior restraint that kills content before it can be created.”
The move to cut USAGM was part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. The executive order in question scaled back seven different agencies, eliminating non-statutory functions and limiting statutory agencies to only what is explicitly required by law. […]
— Read More: thepostmillennial.com
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