A group of six journalists from "Voice of America/#VOA" and others have filed a lawsuit against the #Trump administration and other officials, accusing them of unlawfully shutting down publicly funded broadcasting news outlets.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the #US District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses the Trump administration of taking a "saw-like" approach to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) due to an executive order signed by the President of the United States a week ago.

That executive order cut funding for seven federal agencies, including the Global Media Agency. Hours later, "Voice of America" employees were placed on administrative leave, and the news outlet’s office was shut down.

"What is happening to the journalists of 'Voice of America'… is a government-induced shutdown of journalism, a prior restraint that kills content before it is even created," the lawsuit states, specifically naming U.S. Agency for Global Media Director Victor Morales and Special Advisor Kari Lake as defendants.

Last week, "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty" (#RFE/#RL) also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for Global Media, arguing that the suspension of the media outlet’s grant funding violated federal law, including the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress exclusive authority over federal expenditures.
#VOA #Trump #US