A Federal Lawsuit Says The Trump Administration Has Unlawfully Shuttered The Voice Of America

A lawsuit filed late Friday accuses the Trump administration of unlawfully shutting down the Voice of America and asks a federal court to restore the outlet that for decades has supplied news about the United States to nations around the world - including many that lack a free press of their own.

The case, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, was brought by Voice of America reporters, Reporters Without Borders and a handful of unions against the U.S. Agency for Global Media and Kari Lake, the failed Arizona candidate who is President Trump's representative there.

"In many parts of the world, a crucial source of objective news is gone, and only censored state-sponsored news media is left to fill the void," the lawsuit said.

Lake has described the broadcast agency as a "giant rot" that needs to be stripped down and rebuilt.

Voice of America dates to World War II as a source of objective news , often beamed into authoritarian countries. Funded by Congress, it is protected by a charter that guarantees its product pass muster for journalistic rigor.