Voice of America journalists claim that Trump is making the media a source of propaganda

Some Voice of America journalists charged in a lawsuit Monday that the Trump administration — while largely shutting down the government-run outlet that reported news around the world — turned what remained into a voice for propaganda.

He watches: What is Voice of America and why is Trump dismantling the broadcaster?

The lawsuit alleges that Voice of America’s broadcasts to populations in Iran, China, North Korea and Kurdish populations are not being operated as objective news sources, as required by law. Instead, they parrot White House talking points and suppress news that the administration wants to downplay, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington.

In response, the US Agency for Global Media, which runs Voice of America, said that taxpayer dollars should support broadcasts that reflect US policy and the interests of the American people.

The latest dispute reflects differing views between journalists and President Donald Trump’s administration, which has promoted a friendly media that rarely offers more than courteous questions — most notably at the Pentagon.

A federal judge last week ordered hundreds of Voice of America journalists placed on paid leave over the past year to be reinstated, saying Trump’s pick to run USAGM, Carrie Lake, exceeded her authority. The administration is appealing this ruling.

Voice of America, which has been broadcasting around the world since World War II, is designed to highlight freedom of the press in countries where no such tradition exists. But instead of working that way, VOA journalists Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong-Hyuk Lee, and Ksenia Turkova say Trump loyalists have been hired to direct what is reported in VOA’s few remaining broadcasts.

For example, coverage of the Iran war sent to that country included no news on the death toll from U.S. airstrikes or the views of political and world leaders outside the administration, while the bombing of an elementary school was “barely mentioned,” the lawsuit said. She added that the Lake-appointed official supervising the Persian, Kurdish and Afghan services said that all guest appearances on radio shows must be done with his approval.

“Through Voice of America’s journalism, those living in authoritarian societies get a taste of democracy,” prosecutors said in a statement. “Without editorial integrity, Voice of America would be no different from the government mouthpieces our audiences already hear at home.”

The administration wondered whether taxpayers should foot the bill for conveying opinions that conflict with American interests. In testimony before Congress last year, Lake suggested removing the traditional firewall between the government and journalists at agencies such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “We should be able to control the type of content that is posted,” she said. “This must be consistent with our foreign policy.”

The Global Media Agency “is responsible for overseeing its networks, including the Voice of America, and ensuring compliance with the Voice of America Charter, which requires reliable and accurate journalism that clearly reflects and advances American policies,” the agency said in a statement on Monday.

The VOA journalists were supported in their lawsuit filed Monday by PEN America and Reporters Without Borders.