A twist in the battle for press freedom: the court ruled in favor of Voice of America and other public broadcasters, silenced by the executive’s cuts.
The decision came as a powerful backlash in defense of information, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate journalists and staff at the U.S. television and radio stations Voice of America and Middle East Broadcasting Network. According to Judge Royce Lamberth, the intervention, which had suspended the workers and blocked funds allocated by Congress, violated the independence of public media and compromised the right to free and impartial information.
In the ruling, issued following the lawsuit filed by journalist Patsy Widakuswara along with other colleagues, the court ordered that all staff members be reinstated at their respective editorial teams to resume their activities. The goal, the court emphasized, is to allow them to return to “providing reliable, accurate, objective, and complete news.” The importance of public journalism serving the community was thus reaffirmed.
The verdict represents a setback for Republicans, who last March had signed an order to initiate deep cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media USAGM, the federal body overseeing public broadcasters. Kari Lake was appointed as interim administrator of the agency, a figure already at the center of criticism for decisions considered harmful to the editorial independence of the outlets.
Some sources report that the judge urged the administration to “take all necessary actions” so that journalists can quickly resume their work without further interference and stressed that the mission of the service must remain focused on transparency and professional rigor, regardless of who occupies the White House.
The injunction, which does not extend to Radio Free Europe, as it has filed a separate lawsuit and is awaiting a specific decision, sets an important precedent and reignites the debate on the role of press freedom.
