August 30, 2025

Plaintiffs condemn Lake’s mass firings days after court rules she is verging on contempt

On the evening of Aug. 29, Kari Lake announced that USAGM has initiated a “large number” of reduction in force notices, giving our colleagues 30 days until our pay and benefits end. This, despite Judge Royce Lamberth of the Washington, DC District Court ruling just days earlier that Lake was “verging on contempt” for ignoring his orders to inform the court of USAGM’s plans regarding VOA and ordering her deposed in the coming weeks. He also ruled that Lake’s attempted termination of our director Mike Abramowitz was illegal.

We find Lake’s continued attacks on our agency abhorrent. We are looking forward to her deposition to hear whether her plan to dismantle VOA was done with the rigorous review process that Congress requires. So far we have not seen any evidence of that, and as such we will continue to fight for what we believe to be our rights under the law.

— Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper

August 25, 2025

Judge: “Why is [Kari Lake] stonewalling me?”

The named plaintiffs in Widakuswara v. Lake speak at a press conference on Monday after a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Washington.

Judge Royce Lamberth said Lake is “on the verge of contempt” and “clearly hasn’t complied with my order” to restore VOA programming to fulfill its statutory obligations.

“Why is she stonewalling me?” the judge asked a government lawyer, referring to the lack of information Lake has provided to the court despite repeated requests.

August 13, 2025

Administration offers no new plans for VOA despite court mandate

This filing offers nothing new of substance in response to the court’s very clear directives. The only new information is a plan to partner with another partisan media outlet, Newsmax. That is contrary to the law and VOA’s mandate to serve as a reliable and authoritative source of news. We will continue to seek VOA’s full restoration to its Congressionally-mandated role.

— Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper

July 30, 2025

VOA plaintiffs praise judge’s decision calling for clear answers

Judge Lamberth’s order perfectly sums up the frustration we have felt since the government blocked us from doing our Congressionally-mandated independent journalism and kept us in the dark about their plans for VOA. We hope they follow the court’s order for clear answers. Our colleagues, global audiences and the American taxpayers deserve nothing less.

— Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper

July 19, 2025

Lead plaintiff says Lake moves VOA toward administration ‘mouthpiece’

Kari Lake’s decision to publish White House handout material without providing context or balance brings VOA a step closer towards becoming nothing but the administration’s mouthpiece. It is a betrayal of our legally mandated editorial independence and an insult to the journalistic integrity of those of us who covered U.S. administrations since our inception in 1942.

— Patsy Widakuswara, lead plaintiff in Widakuswara v. Lake

July 19, 2025

VOA newsroom director says Lake is violating VOA charter

Ms. Lake says VOA is now translating and publishing handout videos on America’s 250th anniversary and a series on America’s founders — all of which has been provided by the White House.

This content violates VOA’s charter and AI policies in the following ways:

• When covering America, VOA is required by law — its founding charter — to “represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.”

• Taking handout video from the White House and publishing it directly violates this law governing all VOA editorial content. Only the White House’s perspective is represented.

The “Founders” series that Ms. Lake discusses also violates the VOA charter for the same reason. It also contains content generated by AI, a violation of VOA’s own AI policy issued in 2023:

“VOA journalists may use generative AI for basic research, for developing story ideas or for reviewing reports for grammar, style, etc. But AI should not be used to write scripts or articles; passing off such material as a reporter’s original work is plagiarism. Such conduct is subject to disciplinary action up to and including removal.

“AI also may be used for voicing scripts, so long as a human being retains full control over the journalistic content. Furthermore, synthetic voices should never be used to impersonate or duplicate any individuals, including agency employees or public figures. This includes AI-generated content using an individual’s or employee’s likeness, image, and character.

“As for AI-generated images, VOA journalists may use these only when the image is itself the subject of the story, such as debunking fakes. Otherwise, VOA does not permit using them. AI generates images from archives of artists, illustrators and photographers, whose work often is protected by copyright.”

— Barry Newhouse, Acting Director of the VOA News Center

June 25, 2025

Plaintiffs dispute falsehoods leveled at agency during Congressional hearing

VOA built its reputation on facts, independence, and objectivity. Unfortunately lies and distortion are being used to dismantle it. Despite the many falsehoods aired today, we were encouraged by the many members of Congress who highlighted VOA’s successes and its important role in countering adversarial propaganda. We are counting on bipartisan support to save this American institution of independent journalism trusted by hundreds of millions around the world.

— Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper, plaintiffs of Widakuswara v. Lake

June 23, 2025

Judge: “What would be the purpose of Voice of America if there was no voice?”

The named plaintiffs in Widakuswara v. Lake speak at a press conference on Monday after a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Washington. Their lawyers argued that the government has not been complying with District Judge Royce Lamberth’s order to preserve VOA.

The judge gave the administration until Friday to explain its actions at VOA. “What would be the purpose of Voice of America if there was no voice?” Lamberth asked the government lawyers during the hearing.

June 20, 2025

USAGM starts mass layoffs at VOA

USAGM has launched its mass layoff of VOA and USAGM staff, including some of our Persian colleagues they called back to work just last week to cover Israel’s war with Iran. Their last day on the payroll will be September 1, Labor Day.

This move follows USAGM’s firing of more than 500 contractors last month. It spells the death of 83 years of independent journalism that upholds U.S. ideals of democracy and freedom around the world.

As our legal team fights for our rights under the law, we call on Congress to continue its long tradition of bipartisan support for VOA. Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and extremist groups are flooding the global information space with anti-American propaganda. Do not cede this ground by silencing America’s voice.

— Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper