Voice of America Will Be Fed OAN's Far-Right Coverage, Says Trump Admin
Voice of America (VOA), which began broadcasting in 1942 to fight Nazi propaganda during World War II, will be fed coverage from right-wing cable network One America News (OAN), announced Kari Lake on Tuesday.
Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate who serves as the senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), was put in charge of dismantling VOA earlier this year by President Donald Trump. In a statement on X, Lake said that OAN will provide newsfeed services 'free-of-charge' to USAGM networks, including VOA, Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), and Radio Martí.
OAN has consistently spread misinformation to its viewers about Covid-19, the 2020 election, the January 6th insurrection, and more.
The former news anchor called the partnership an 'enormous benefit to the American taxpayer.' 'In my current role as Senior Advisor to USAGM, I don't have editorial control over the content of VOA and OCB programming, but I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs,' said Lake.
In March, President Trump signed an executive order seeking the overhaul of USAGM, the agency which oversees the government-funded media outlet VOA. The order led to more than 1,000 Voice of America staffers being placed on leave and halted broadcasting.
VOA, which transmits U.S. news into other countries, has long been a target of Trump and conservatives, who accuse the broadcaster of having an overtly liberal and anti-Trump bias. The USAGM also oversees Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia, each of which were also impacted by the president's cuts.
Following Trump's order, VOA journalists sued, saying that the president did not have the authority to withdraw funding approved by Congress. Although a federal judge blocked the Trump administration in April from dismantling the broadcaster, an appeals panel reversed parts of the lower court's order that would have sent staffers back to work and required the Trump administration to restore funding.
The appeals court highlighted that the government did not challenge the ruling requiring it to restore VOA's 'statutorily required programming levels.' Fewer than 20 out of more than 1,300 Voice of America staffers returned to work on Tuesday, sources told The Washington Post.
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