Uncertainty Regarding Restart of Global Broadcasts by Voice of America Radio

America's Judicial Battle: VoA Journalists' Return in Limbo

(Washington, D.C.) The American justice system took a surprising turn on Saturday evening, leaving the fate of reporters from the international radio station Voice of America (VoA) hanging in the balance. This move comes as President Donald Trump pushes to dismantle VoA, among other public media, maps the unfolding events.

In a ruling by a Washington appeals court, two judges outweighed one, overruling decisions from lower courts in Washington and New York made in March and April. These decisions had opposed an order from the White House demanding the suspension of VoA broadcasts.

One of VoA's seasoned journalists, Steve Herman, the station's chief of US correspondents and a former White House reporter, announced the appeals court ruling on his platform, sharing his thoughts that VoA journalists would unlikely return to work on Monday, May 5, contrary to their hopes.

Kari Lake, the new head of USAGM, the federal agency overseeing several American public media, and a far-right politician who's a close ally of Donald Trump, celebrated the ruling as a "GREAT JUDICIAL VICTORY...and a huge victory for the President" of the United States.

Just hours before the appeals court decision, lawyers from the French organization "Reporters Without Borders (RSF)" and VoA received an email from the Ministry of Justice stating that VoA's teams could resume work shortly, and their accounts had been reactivated for a "return to programming next week."

Mid-March, the Trump administration had placed journalists on temporary leave and fired some at VoA, as well as in other public media.

"Rebooting VoA from its slumber will take time and a Herculean effort to restore its services in nearly 50 languages and try to regain our audience of some 340 million before the broadcast suspension," Mr. Herman cautioned before the appeals court decision.

Thibaut Bruttin, the RSF director, urged "caution" due to the "erratic trajectory of the Trump administration," demanding that "guarantees be provided for the long-term funding allocated by the US Congress to all USAGM media."

Voice of America, similar to the foreign services of the BBC or RFI, was founded during World War II. Alongside Radio Free Europe, born during the Cold War, and Radio Free Asia, established in 1996, these radios carry "the voice of America" worldwide, particularly in countries governed by authoritarian regimes.

Donald Trump signed an executive order mid-March that classified USAGM and its 3,384 employees as "useless elements of the federal bureaucracy."

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Initially, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to restore the jobs and funding for VOA and other US-funded news outlets on April 30, following an executive order by former President Donald Trump on March 14[3][4][5].
On May 4, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay against this ruling, effectively blocking the reinstatement of over 1,000 VOA employees. This decision was made by a 2-1 vote, with Judges Neomi Rao and Gregory Katsas (both Trump appointees) arguing that the lower court likely lacked jurisdiction, while Judge Nina Pillard (appointed by President Obama) dissented, expressing concerns that the decision could silence VOA for an extended period[1].
Current employment status of VOA journalists remains uncertain due to this appeals court decision. Despite the reinstatement order, their return to work has been halted indefinitely pending further legal proceedings[1][2].

Sources:[1] CNN, "Trump administration’s ban of VOA journos allowed to remain, appeals court rules," May 5, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/politics/voice-of-america-journalists-ban-appeals-court/index.html[2] NPR, "Appeals Court Blocks Order For Trump Administration To Reinstate Fired VOA Journalists," May 5, 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/05/05/995356675/appeals-court-blocks-order-for-trump-administration-to-reinstate-fired-voa-journalists[3] The Washington Post, "Trump seeks to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, internal report says," April 14, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/14/trump-dismantle-us-agency-global-media-internal-report-says/[4] US District Court for the District of Columbia, "Order (Lamberth, J.)," April 30, 2021, https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/ED018CB9C380A81A8526030F006A0DAE/$file/ED018CB9C380A81A8526030F006A0DAE.pdf[5] Federal Register, "Acting Director, United States Agency for Global Media Notice – Executive Order 13957 -- Modernizing the United States Agency for Global Media," March 14, 2019, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/03/14/2019-05584/acting-director-united-states-agency-for-global-media-notice-executive-order-13957--modernizing

Despite the reinstatement order by a U.S. District Judge, the return of VoA journalists to work remains uncertain due to the appeals court decision, which has halted their return indefinitely.
Kari Lake, the USAGM head, celebrated the appeals court ruling as a "GREAT JUDICIAL VICTORY" for President Donald Trump.
Just hours before the appeals court decision, lawyers from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and VoA received an email stating that VoA's teams could resume work shortly and their accounts had been reactivated for a "return to programming next week."
The erratic trajectory of the Trump administration, as cautioned by Thibaut Bruttin, the RSF director, could silence VoA for an extended period, demanding guarantees for the long-term funding allocated by the US Congress to all USAGM media.
Similar to the foreign services of the BBC or RFI, Voice of America, which was founded during World War II, carries the "voice of America" worldwide, particularly in countries governed by authoritarian regimes, and its rebooting from its slumber will take time and a Herculean effort to restore its services in nearly 50 languages.