A federal court in New York has temporarily halted the initiative of the Donald Trump administration to dissolve the Voice of America media company. About this informs The New York Times.
In the lawsuit, VOA journalists said the administration’s actions violated their constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. At this time, the decision is temporary. Further developments in court are expected. The restriction can be valid for up to 21 days. A separate lawsuit was filed by Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz.
Recently, federal judge Royce S. Lambert in Washington also temporarily blocked an attempt to shut down another state broadcaster, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, created during the Cold War as a means of countering Soviet propaganda. Lambert ruled that the Trump administration’s initiative to defund the group was “unsupported by any facts or logic” and likely violated federal law.
It will be recalled that on March 14, Donald Trump signed a decree, which provides for a large-scale reduction of the functions and number of personnel of several state bodies within the framework of the fight against bureaucracy. Among them is the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America and Radio Liberty / Radio Free Europe.
On March 15, Voice of America employees received a letter from the human resources department notifying them of being placed on paid administrative leave. The director of the media company, Michael Abramowitz, said that for the first time in its 83 years of existence, the broadcaster was forced to stop working. According to him, more than 1,300 employees — journalists, producers, technical staff, as well as himself — were sent on vacation.
The head of the Ukrainian service of “Voice of America” Ruslan Petrychka confirmed that the Ukrainian editorial office has temporarily stopped broadcasting, and all its employees have been placed on administrative leave.
