Latest news with #Widakuswara
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Fight back': journalist taking Trump administration to court calls for media to resist attacks
The lead plaintiff in a lawsuit fighting Donald Trump's order to dismantle Voice of America has said the media has to resist as the administration becomes increasingly aggressive against the press. 'I never in a million years thought I would have to fight for freedom of the press in the United States of America. And yet here we are,' says Patsy Widakuswara, the White House bureau chief for the broadcasting network. 'As journalism is under attack, it feels empowering to fight back. We need more people to resist and fight back.' Kicked out of press conferences on multiple continents for asking pointed questions, Widakuswara is not the type to balk at challenging powerful leaders. In her three decades as a journalist those instincts have served her well, and perhaps at no better time than now. The White House reporter is now leading the charge to save VOA, which the US president has described as 'anti-Trump' and 'radical'. In March, Trump signed an executive order that effectively cut off its funding via its parent company, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Launched in 1942, initially to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA is a federally funded international broadcasting network, produced in dozens of languages that reach about 350 million people around the globe. For decades it has been seen as a form of soft power, encapsulating the values of liberal America. But after Trump's order its operations have been suspended, with virtually all of VOA's staff of 1,300 placed on immediate administrative leave and about 600 contractors terminated. The lawsuit filed by Widakuswara and several of her colleagues follows lawsuits the Trump administration has taken out against ABC News and CBS's 60 Minutes in the US, and attempts to expel some press from the White House. Those backing the case argue that VOA has for decades provided an important source of objective information, especially in illiberal environments. 'These are not just women in Afghanistan or farmers in Africa,' said Widakuswara of VOA's audience. 'They're also activists in Russia and decision makers all around the world who are also facing the onslaught of disinformation and propaganda from Russia, Iran, China, and extremist organisations like [Islamic State] and al-Qaida.' At home having a quiet Saturday when she received the email about VOA's demise, Widakuswara says to do nothing was inconceivable. In a matter of days she had rallied a team to fight against it, and by Friday morning had filed a lawsuit. 'It's just the way I'm wired,' she says over the phone from Washington. 'Congress gave us a mandate to tell America's story to the world through factual, balanced and comprehensive reporting. If they want to change the size, structure or function of VOA, they can't just shut us down. They must go through Congress. That's the law.' Starting her career in Jakarta in the late 90s, just as Indonesia's decades-long dictator Suharto was being toppled, the Indonesian-born journalist has seen first-hand the impacts of authoritarian regimes. Widakuswara worked at a campus radio station, and later as a fixer for foreign journalists when they flooded in to cover the event, as mass student protests inundated the parliament building and forced Suharto to step down. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'That was my first taste in media,' she says. 'Holding autocratic governments to account.' The experience led to a career in television, and a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarship to obtain her master's in journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London. After stints at the BBC and Channel 4, she was named VOA's White House bureau chief in 2021. Now, she finds herself pushing against fascistic tendencies in her adopted home. 'I grew up in 80s Indonesia where there was no press freedom and newspapers had to be careful what they printed to avoid government closure,' she says. 'Could the US backslide that far? Not if enough people resist, and that's why I'm fighting back.' Her lawsuit, backed by Reporters Without Borders and four unions, argues the Trump administration, through the actions of the defendants, USAGM, and the government's special adviser Kari Lake, are attempting to unlawfully dismantle VOA's operations because they deem it contrary to the government's agenda. Widakuswara argues that Trump's executive order is a violation of press freedom, the first amendment, and laws to prevent executive overreach, with VOA funding approved by Congress, not the president. Another motivating factor is to support her 47 colleagues at VOA on J-1 or journalist visas in the US, who could be sent back to countries such as Russia, Belarus, Vietnam and Myanmar which have previously jailed journalists. Widakuswara's efforts to save VOA appeared to score an early win, with a judge in April ordering the Trump administration to restore funding to VOA and other US-funded media. But the preliminary injunction was only a temporary measure. On Saturday, just as VOA staff were preparing for a 'phased return' to work, a court of appeals issued a stay on that ruling, saying the court did not have the authority to block Trump's executive order regarding employment matters. Keenly aware of the unfavourable political climate she is up against, Widakuswara says it is hard to know if their case will ultimately prevail, but the only choice is to try. 'Even if it's just like a 5% chance or even a 1% chance, that's better than a 0% chance, which is what happens if we do nothing.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Embattled Voice of America journalists get new ‘Fork in the Road' email as they near early court win
Employees under the U.S. Agency for Global Media received a new 'Fork in the Road' email Friday afternoon, as Voice of America journalists suing the agency appeared poised to win an order temporarily blocking USAGM's attempts to shutter the news outlet. The email, seen by POLITICO, originated from a USAGM human resources account and offered employees an 'opportunity' to 'voluntarily transition out of federal service through the Deferred Resignation Program,' set to be available from Friday through April 9. Kari Lake — an ally of President Donald Trump serving as a senior official at the agency — and USAGM have faced an onslaught of legal challenges in recent weeks. Employees working for news outlets or technology programs funded or controlled by the agency — including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and The Open Technology Fund — have all sought to block USAGM from gutting their operations. The agency announced it was ending programs and terminating grants funding the various outlets two weeks ago to comply with an order from the Trump administration. Employees who opt into the new program by April 9 will 'retain full pay and benefits and will be exempt from in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 unless they choose to depart earlier,' the email read. Lake publicly previewed the email, posting on X at 2.19 p.m.: 'URGENT: Employees of USAGM please check your email for an urgent message from HR. Have a great weekend.' A USAGM spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notched a win on Wednesday when Lake withdrew an order to terminate the outlet's funding — a move that the news organization had sued to block on the argument that its funding is mandated through an act of Congress and cannot legally be halted. The move came after a judge granted RFE/RL a temporary restraining order blocking its funding freeze on Tuesday. VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, a lead plaintiff in one of the suits against USAGM, said Friday's 'Fork in the Road' email could be a sign that the pile-up of legal actions against Lake and USAGM is pressuring the agency to reconsider any attempts to dismantle its news outlets. Widakuswara had just left a Manhattan courtroom where a U.S. district judge heard plaintiffs' arguments seeking a temporary restraining order against USAGM when the email came through. She said the judge had indicated he was likely to grant the freeze. 'The timing of it is certainly interesting,' Widakuswara said. 'I see this 'Fork in the Road' opportunity as a good sign in the sense that they're getting the message that they have to do things legally.' But Widakuswara emphasized that VOA journalists and other USAGM employees aren't out of the woods yet. Even if the judge grants the temporary restraining order, 'we don't know if the administration will follow the judge's orders or not,' she said. Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
Politico
28-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Embattled Voice of America journalists get new ‘Fork in the Road' email as they near early court win
Employees under the U.S. Agency for Global Media received a new 'Fork in the Road' email Friday afternoon, as Voice of America journalists suing the agency appeared poised to win an order temporarily blocking USAGM's attempts to shutter the news outlet. The email, seen by POLITICO, originated from a USAGM human resources account and offered employees an 'opportunity' to 'voluntarily transition out of federal service through the Deferred Resignation Program,' set to be available from Friday through April 9. Kari Lake — an ally of President Donald Trump serving as a senior official at the agency — and USAGM have faced an onslaught of legal challenges in recent weeks. Employees working for news outlets or technology programs funded or controlled by the agency — including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and The Open Technology Fund — have all sought to block USAGM from gutting their operations. The agency announced it was ending programs and terminating grants funding the various outlets two weeks ago to comply with an order from the Trump administration. Employees who opt into the new program by April 9 will 'retain full pay and benefits and will be exempt from in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 unless they choose to depart earlier,' the email read. Lake publicly previewed the email, posting on X at 2.19 p.m.: 'URGENT: Employees of USAGM please check your email for an urgent message from HR. Have a great weekend.' A USAGM spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notched a win on Wednesday when Lake withdrew an order to terminate the outlet's funding — a move that the news organization had sued to block on the argument that its funding is mandated through an act of Congress and cannot legally be halted. The move came after a judge granted RFE/RL a temporary restraining order blocking its funding freeze on Tuesday. VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, a lead plaintiff in one of the suits against USAGM, said Friday's 'Fork in the Road' email could be a sign that the pile-up of legal actions against Lake and USAGM is pressuring the agency to reconsider any attempts to dismantle its news outlets. Widakuswara had just left a Manhattan courtroom where a U.S. district judge heard plaintiffs' arguments seeking a temporary restraining order against USAGM when the email came through. She said the judge had indicated he was likely to grant the freeze. 'The timing of it is certainly interesting,' Widakuswara said. 'I see this 'Fork in the Road' opportunity as a good sign in the sense that they're getting the message that they have to do things legally.' But Widakuswara emphasized that VOA journalists and other USAGM employees aren't out of the woods yet. Even if the judge grants the temporary restraining order, 'we don't know if the administration will follow the judge's orders or not,' she said. Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
Axios
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Employees, agencies take legal action to save government-funded media
Six Voice of America staffers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Friday for shuttering the U.S. Agency for Global Media and effectively dismantling the five broadcast agencies it supports. On Monday, they filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to freeze any further attempts to gut VOA and its sister broadcasters. Why it matters: Their lawsuit followed a separate legal action against the administration from sister broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty last week. Collectively, the efforts suggest impacted journalists and press advocacy groups won't let government media die without a fight. The RFE/RL lawsuit argues it's illegal for USAGM to pull Congressionally appropriated grants to USAGM broadcast agencies. The Open Technology Fund, an independent non-profit that's a subdivision within the USAGM, has also sued USAGM for withholding funds. State of play: The coalition that filed for a temporary restraining order includes VOA employees, press freedom groups Reporters Without Borders and the NewsGuild-CWA and government worker advocacy groups. The initial lawsuit was filed to seek relief from efforts to shutter VOA and its sister networks, said VOA White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, who is named as a plaintiff on the lawsuit. Widakuswara is joined by VOA journalist Jessica Jerreat and USAGM director of strategy and performance assessment Kathryn Neeper as named plaintiffs on the complaint. There are four unnamed USAGM employees who are also listed. In an interview, Widakuswara said employees began organizing a legal effort shortly after they were placed on leave earlier this month. In addition to press freedom concerns, the lawsuit is meant to address the irreparable harm the Trump administration's actions have had on the careers of VOA employees, as well as the risks associated with losing access to their salaries, benefits and legal support. There are currently nine USAGM journalists in jail in places like Vietnam, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Myanmar. The big picture: The VOA was created more than 80 years ago to combat Nazi propaganda during WWII. Its mission has always been to promote democracy and American interests abroad through fact-driven journalism, regardless of which political party is in power. The Trump administration believes VOA and other government-funded broadcasters should align their coverage with the goals of the administration, per David Seide, a lawyer representing the VOA employees in their lawsuit. Between the lines: A legal firewall is supposed to protect VOA from any government interference, but those boundaries were tested during the first Trump administration. A judge, for example, granted an injunction in 2020 in response to a legal complaint alleging former Trump-era USAGM CEO Michael Pack violated the First Amendment by interfering with editorial decisions made at the VOA. In 2020, OTF sued USAGM and Pack for withholding its Congressionally appropriated funds and trying to overhaul its board. An appeals court sided with OTF and blocked Pack's efforts with an emergency stay. Catch up quick: The Trump administration earlier this month ordered nearly all 1,300 employees of VOA to be placed on leave and said it would cut funding for other USAGM broadcasters and subsidiaries, such as Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and OTF. Those orders were given by Kari Lake, a Trump ally who was named USAGM special adviser in late February. Lake canceled USAGM's 15-year lease and has since suggested that the agency needs to be reduced "to the bare minimum and start fresh." Zoom out: The gutting of USAGM comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to cut government spending through a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk. Musk has called for VOA to be shut down.
