TL/DR –
Voice of America (VOA) employees have filed a lawsuit against Kari Lake and the U.S. Agency for Global Media, accusing them of censorship and propaganda. The lawsuit alleges that Lake and the agency’s acting CEO, Michael Rigas, have used VOA to suppress material opposed by the Trump administration and promote partisan messages as news. This lawsuit follows a separate court ruling that found Lake was unlawfully running the agency.
VOA Staffers Accuse Kari Lake of Censorship in New Lawsuit
A new lawsuit filed in a federal district court in Washington, D.C., sees Voice of America (VOA) staff accusing Kari Lake and the U.S. Agency for Global Media of “censorship” and “propaganda”. The lawsuit alleges that VOA has been used to control journalists’ reporting, suppressing content that opposes the Trump administration’s views and promoting partisan messages as news.
Accusations include the censorship of interviews and footage about the Iran war, and the manipulation of VOA’s Mandarin Service for the dissemination of White House talking points. The lawsuit also claims that under Michael Rigas’s leadership, journalists are now mostly confined to the newsroom, publishing content that closely resembles re-written government press releases.
Stories that would normally be covered in detail, such as the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran, are now barely mentioned, and uncomfortable facts are omitted completely, according to the complaint. The lawsuit argues that this level of control over VOA is contrary to America’s tradition of press freedom, violating the First Amendment and federal law requiring VOA to provide independent and objective news coverage.
The lawsuit further states that federal law establishes a “firewall” between VOA’s newsroom and its publishers, which has been broken. This has resulted in the silencing of journalists and editors, depriving audiences worldwide of reliable news.
Key Figures in the VOA Lawsuit Against Kari Lake
The latest lawsuit was brought by four VOA staffers who were placed on leave; PEN America, a writers’ group focused on free speech; and Reporters Without Borders, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the right to freedom of information. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and a permanent injunction to prevent Lake, Rigas, and USAGM from infringing on the newsroom’s editorial independence.
The complaint comes on the heels of a separate court loss for Lake and USAGM earlier this month. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Lake was unlawfully running the agency, ordering over 1,000 VOA journalists back to work.
Why was Voice of America Targeted for Cuts Under the Trump Administration?
With the return of Trump to the White House, VOA and related government-funded operations quickly became targets for elimination. Lake, a former Fox 10 newscaster and member of the Trump administration, carried out plans to dismantle the agency in line with the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 report. Former talk show host Frank Wuco, who promoted the birther conspiracy involving former President Barack Obama, was appointed as an adviser to Lake at USAGM.
The Project 2025 report criticizes USAGM and its organizations, including VOA, for using its “firewall” of editorial independence to denigrate the American story. In a February 2026 social media post, USAGM stated, “Voice of America is carrying President Trump’s message about Operation Epic Fury across all language services.”
—
Read More US Media News