ECBAWM, together with co-counsel Democracy Defenders Fund, Government Accountability Project, and the Yale Law School Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, filed a new federal lawsuit today on behalf of press freedom organizations PEN America, Reporters Sans Frontières, and Reporters Without Borders, Inc., in addition to four individual plaintiffs who are Voice of America (VOA) journalists, to stop alleged unlawful political censorship at VOA.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeks to halt the Administration’s censorship of VOA’s output and its use of the broadcaster for propaganda — what plaintiffs describe as ongoing government interference in VOA’s news reporting — and to prevent efforts to turn the congressionally mandated independent broadcaster into a partisan propaganda outlet.

The suit alleges that recent actions by leadership at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, have interfered with journalists’ editorial independence in violation of federal law.

Under its governing statute, VOA must operate as an independent news organization and provide reporting that is accurate, objective, and comprehensive. The lawsuit seeks court intervention to ensure VOA journalists can report freely and without political interference.

“For more than 80 years, Voice of America has served as a beacon of freedom and a source of reliable news for people around the world. That mission reflects a core American principle: freedom of the press. It is a bedrock of our constitutional order and one of America’s defining calling cards abroad. The Trump administration’s censorship of VOA’s news content, and its efforts to convert VOA into a partisan mouthpiece, are flatly illegal, contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests, and morally wrong. This case, led by brave journalists and backed by renowned press freedom organizations, exposes those actions and will put a stop to them,” said Andrew G. Celli, Jr., Partner, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP.

ECBAWM attorneys Andrew G. Celli Jr., Nick Bourland, and Rachael Wyant, along with co-counsel Democracy Defenders Fund, Government Accountability Project, and the Yale Law School Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic represent the plaintiffs.

News Coverage:

New York Times: Voice of America Journalists Sue, Saying Trump Officials Interfered in Coverage

NPR: Voice of America staffers sue, alleging Kari Lake put on propaganda

Washington Post: Voice of America staff allege Kari Lake violated its independence in lawsuit

All Rise: VOA staffers sue over Trumpian ‘propaganda’ and ‘censorship’

The Wrap: New Voice of America Lawsuit Alleges Kari Lake Aired Pro-Trump Propaganda