VOA Burners Being Sued?

by

Updates:

Article in Poynter by Tom Jones

Headline:  “Opinion | Trump gutted Voice of America. Six staff members are fighting back.”

Subhead:  “Kari Lake and the Trump administration cut hundreds of journalists at the global news outlet. A lawsuit says that’s not just wrong — it’s illegal.”

“Even before Donald Trump returned to the White House, he set his sights on dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media — the agency that oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and Radio Free Asia.

He hand-picked two-time election loser Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican, to be his hatchet, most notably taking a whack at the Voice of America, the longstanding and well-respected media outlet that has promoted democracy and transparency across the globe since World War II. . . ”

“Behind these cuts at the federally-funded VOA are real journalists, real people. More than 900 full-time employees were placed on indefinite leave. Another 500 contractors were fired.

“But here’s another number: six. That’s how many VOA staff members are suing the Trump administration, arguing that shutting down the outlet is unlawful and unconstitutional. . . ”

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/voice-of-america-lawsuit-unlawful-unconstitutional/

– – – – –

Article in The Guardian by Michael Sinato, 3/24/25

Headline:  “Trump’s shuttering of global media agency endangers reporters, staff say”

Subhead:  “Employees who may have to return home risk death or imprisonment at hands of authoritarian governments”

“Foreign workers at US government-backed media outlets being cut by the Trump administration say they face deportation to their home countries, where some risk imprisonment or death at the hands of authoritarian governments. . . .”

“. . . We have many coworkers in different services, several of whom came here and sought asylum visas. If their own government knew they worked for RFA [Radio Free Asia] and they went back to their own country, their lives would be at risk,” Jaewoo Park, a journalist for RFA, who was placed on administrative leave along with all of his coworkers, told the Guardian. . .”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/24/trump-shuttering-global-media-agency-endangers-reporters

– – – – –

Podcast Article in NPR by Staff, 3/21/25

Headline:  “Voice of America Goes Quiet. And, Apocalypse Now?”

“The Trump administration has cut funding for Voice of America, the 80-year-old state media network. On this week’s On the Media, how pulling federal funds from VOA’s parent organization will imperil press freedom abroad. Plus, a Radio Free Europe journalist describes being detained for nine months in Russia until she was released alongside Evan Gershkovich.  . . Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Nicole Hemmer, political historian and co-host of the podcast “This Day.” They discuss the complicated history of Voice of America, which was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda. . .”

“Host Micah Loewinger sits down with Alsu Kurmasheva, press freedom advocate and veteran journalist of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service, on what the network provides in countries lacking a free press and her own nine month detention in Russia. Plus, Bay Fang, president of Radio Free Asia, or RFA, on why authoritarians are celebrating Trump’s shutdown and how RFA’s closure will further diminish press freedom in Asia. . . ”

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

by


Article in Mediaite by Alex Griffing, 3/21/25

Headline:  “Bernie Sanders Rips Trump In Fiery Takedown: Only a ‘Coward’ Sues Media For Reporting ‘Things You Don’t Like”

“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hit the road this week with rallies in the southwest, including one in Tempe, Arizona, on Thursday during which he called President Donald Trump a “coward” for suing media outlets he doesn’t like. . . ”

“In our form of government, unless you are a coward, you don’t sue the media because they report on things you don’t like. You don’t sue the Des Moines Register because they did a poll whose results you don’t like. In a democratic society, we understand that criticism and debate is what makes this country great. . .”

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/bernie-sanders-rips-trump-in-fiery-takedown-only-a-coward-sues-media-for-reporting-things-you-dont-like/

 

Media Diversity Not Politically Correct?

by

Article in Washington Post by Taylor Tilfordm 3/21/25

Headline:  “FCC chair threatens to block mergers of media companies engaged in DEI”

Subhead:  “The agency is already investigating Comcast and NBCUniversal over their diversity, equity and inclusion policies.”

“The Federal Communications Commission is prepared to block mergers and acquisitions involving companies that continue promoting diversity, equity and inclusion policies, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Friday.

“President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies such as the Justice Department to draw up lists of companies, nonprofits and other organizations to target over ‘illegal DEI efforts,’ which the administration has defined broadly. Now Carr is signaling that persisting with DEI could negatively affect media and communications companies’ dealmaking prospects.

“Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination,” Carr said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Friday. . .”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/21/fcc-dei-diversity-mergers-acquisitions-ma/

– – – – –

Article in Free Press by Timothy Karr, 3/21/25

Headline:  “FCC Chairman Carr’s Egregious Attacks on Diversity Reach New Low With Merger Threats”

“FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s racist attacks on U.S. businesses ramped up on Friday, when he announced, according to Bloomberg, that he would block mergers from companies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Carr’s latest tirade follows earlier threats against Comcast and Verizon.

Free Press Co-CEO Craig Aaron said, “There are many good reasons to block a media merger: for example, preserving competition, or preventing higher prices and job cuts. A company’s programs designed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion obviously don’t make that list. Carr’s crusade against so-called DEI programs is a blatant attempt to legitimize discrimination against people of color, women, people with disabilities, religious minorities and LGBTQIA+ people. It’s shameful and wrong.

“Corporate America needs to stand up against Carr’s bigotry and reject his offensive claims that programs designed to address discrimination are themselves discriminatory. . .”

https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/fcc-chairman-carr-attacks-dei-mergers

 

Changing Face of Local Journalism

by


Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Sarah Stonbely, 3/20/23

Headline:  “The changing face of local journalism”

Subhead:  “Rethinking what counts as local news”

“One of the major journalism themes of 2025 is emerging: the role, and importance, of nontraditional, or journalism-adjacent information providers. From influencer/creator/independent news producers, to AI-generated content, to civic media, defining who qualifies as a journalist is as difficult as it has ever been.This idea was front and center at the recent Knight Media Forum, where several discussions showed clearly that the idea of what qualifies as journalism is expanding – largely out of necessity, but also as an overdue acknowledgement of the fact that sometimes the most vital local journalism comes not from a newspaper but from a newsletter or Facebook group.

“There is now a broader willingness to consider – or perhaps, more accurately, to see – the myriad other ways that people share and receive important local information and news. The further we get into the local journalism crisis, the more we’re forced to confront the fact that sustainable local journalism cannot, and will not, look as it did in the past. The rise of the newsfluencer is the latest iteration of this message. . .”

https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/the-changing-face-of-local-journalism.php

Complaints to Rt. Wing Media

by


Article in Media Matters by Gideon Taafe, 3/20/25

Headline:  “Listeners keep calling in to right-wing radio shows to complain about Trump’s policies”

“In the past several months, right-wing radio shows have been receiving calls from audiences who are unhappy with the Trump administration’s policies. Listeners are sharing their stories of family members losing jobs, discussing anxiety about the economy, and expressing their disagreement with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s handling of the Ukraine-Russia war.”

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/listeners-keep-calling-right-wing-radio-shows-complain-about-trumps-policies

Protecting the Sources

by


Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Meghnad Bose, 3/20/25

Headline:  “How News Publications Are Changing to Protect Immigrant Sources”

Subhead:  “Several outlets say they’ve loosened anonymity policies in recent weeks.”

“A few days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Heather Tirado Gilligan, the managing editor of El Tímpano (The Eardrum), a small local newsroom in California known for covering the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan communities, launched an updated guide to protecting immigrant sources. The new policy called for identifying any individuals who were not public figures or experts by their first name and last initial—and, in certain circumstances, using a pseudonym. . .”

“El Tímpano is one of a large number of publications, especially those that write about or for immigrant communities, wrestling with what sorts of additional measures they should take to protect the people they cover. Many of these outlets are simply doubling down on extensive policies they’ve had for years; others are taking novel steps, including going out of their way to help potential subjects understand the implications of talking to the press.

“At the Miami Herald, senior editor Jay Ducassi recently sought—and received—approval to liberalize the paper’s policy on anonymous sourcing for immigrants, inspired by a request from Syra Ortiz-Blanes, the paper’s immigration reporter. Ducassi, who has been at the paper—including a brief stint with its Spanish-language sister publication El Nuevo Herald—since 1999, is characteristically skeptical about using unnamed sources, but he believes the times merit a new approach. ‘It’s not our job to make Immigration [and Customs Enforcement]’s job easier by identifying targets,’ he said. . .”

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/immigrant-sources-anonymous.php

More Shrinking Media

by


Article in Poynter by Tom Hones, et al, 3/20/25

Headline:  “Opinion | Buyouts at the Sun-Times shrink the newsroom — and the dream”

Subhead:  “Big-name journalists are out as Chicago Public Media tightens its belt. The high-profile merger was supposed to be different.”

“. . . The financially troubled Chicago Sun-Times announced Tuesday that it is shedding 23 newsroom employees through buyouts, more than 20% of staff.  . .”

“Chicago Public Media, which also operates the city’s NPR station, acquired the Sun-Times (it was donated for free) in January 2022. It was hailed as an exciting venture that could be a model elsewhere. But even merging the two operations took longer than expected, and it undershot business targets.

“In a commendably candid and detailed story, Sun-Times reporter David Roeder explained the seriousness of the problem and the consequences of the reductions. . . ”

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/chicago-sun-times-richard-roeper-rick-telander-buyouts/

Some Media Use Benign Neglect

by

Article in FAIR by Conor Smyth, 2/20/25

Headline: “Leading Papers Give Two Cheers for DOGE”

“. . .The Fourth Estate is tasked with serving as a check on abuses of power. But US media were not designed for this.

“Though critical in much of their reporting, corporate outlets have at the same time substantially legitimized the project of DOGE. For one, longstanding fearmongering about government spending in the news sections of corporate outlets has elevated precisely the right-wing vision of government animating DOGE.

“Even more worryingly, however, criticism of DOGE by major editorial boards has been weak, and in some cases has been overshadowed by these boards’ support for the ideas behind DOGE, or even for DOGE itself. . .”

https://fair.org/home/leading-papers-give-two-cheers-for-doge/

Finger on Scale of AP’s Hearing?

by


Article in Reporters Without Borders by Staff, 3/19/25

Headline:  “USA: RSF condemns Elon Musk’s continued defamation of the AP ahead of its hearing on White House access”

“Elon Musk, head of the US Department of Government Efficiency, tweeted on March 18 ‘AP stands for Associated Propaganda’ in response to a screenshot of an Associated Press (AP) retraction of one of their stories, just two days before the AP’s hearing over its access to the White House. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly objects to Musk’s inappropriate use of his position of power within the executive branch to influence judicial proceedings, under the pretext of using his personal account.

“Without a hint of irony, Elon Musk condemned the AP for doing what any responsible journalist or news organization should do – publish a correction when they get something wrong. Meanwhile, Musk is one of the Internet’s most prolific purveyors of misinformation and never holds himself accountable. . .”

https://rsf.org/en/usa-rsf-condemns-elon-musk-s-continued-defamation-ap-ahead-its-hearing-white-house-access

Media Deja Vu

by


Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 3/19/25

Headline:  “MAGA Media’s Musk-querade”

Subhead:  “Right-wing media stars once raged against ‘unelected elites’ wielding government power—now, they’re fawning as Donald Trump hands Elon Musk the keys to federal agencies, despite glaring conflicts of interest.”

” It’s prime time on cable news, and beneath the glow of the studio lights, a monologue erupts. The anchor excoriates the president for having ‘skirted the Senate confirmation process’ and ’empowered’ unelected individuals ‘to oversee major offices within the federal government,’ railing against a system where they ‘operate only under the supervision of the White House.’ The words are dripping with indignation, warning of a government where power is handed to unvetted individuals, accountability is nonexistent, and a radical reshaping of the U.S. government is underway.

“ ‘In essence, a select group of unconfirmed, unvetted individuals are now at the helm of a shadow government right here in the U.S.,’ the anchor warns.”

“. . . But the clip isn’t from 2025. It’s from Sean Hannity on Fox News in the summer of 2009, raging against Barack Obama’s appointment of so-called ‘czars.’. . .”

https://www.status.news/p/right-wing-media-elon-musk-hypocrisy