MFIA Files Lawsuit Against Federal Officials for Interfering with Voice of America’s Journalism
A new lawsuit by Voice of America (VOA) journalists and press freedom groups alleges that Kari Lake and other officials have engaged in censorship the news group and used it to distribute political propaganda in violation of the law.
The Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic at Yale Law School, together with co-counsel, filed the lawsuit on March 23 on behalf of four Voice of America journalists and two press freedom organizations against the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Acting CEO Michael Rigas, and Kari Lake, who was removed from leadership of USAGM by court order earlier this month.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants unlawfully interfered with VOA’s journalism by suppressing certain coverage of events in Iran and elsewhere, steering VOA reports to reflect the Trump administration’s political messages, and overriding the editorial judgment of VOA journalists and editors. The complaint alleges that this conduct violated the First Amendment and the federal laws that protect VOA’s editorial independence, according to the suit.
According to the complaint, after earlier efforts to shut down or severely weaken VOA were blocked in court, administration officials turned to controlling VOA’s content instead. The complaint describes interference with reporting by VOA’s Persian Service, including coverage of protests and opposition voices in Iran, and says VOA’s Mandarin Service was used to publish pro-Trump content presented as news. The suit further argues that these actions violated the statutory “firewall” Congress enacted to protect VOA and other USAGM networks from political interference. That firewall is meant to ensure that decisions about what to cover and how to cover it are made by journalists, not government officials.
Although VOA is federally funded, the complaint argues that it is not meant to function as a state propaganda outlet. By law, it must provide news that is accurate and comprehensive, and USAGM leadership must respect the professional independence and integrity of its journalists and broadcasters.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to halt further interference with VOA’s editorial operations, enforce the legal protections that govern the agency, and restore VOA’s ability to operate as an independent news organization.
For decades, VOA has provided journalism for audiences around the world, including in countries where independent media is weak, censored, or under direct state control. The complaint alleges that political interference at VOA undermines that mission, damages the outlet’s credibility, and harms the audiences and organizations that rely on its reporting.
The complaint was developed with the assistance of David Bralow, John Langford ’14, and David Schulz ’78 of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School. Several MFIA students will also assist in the litigation on behalf of the plaintiffs.
