Overview
- A federal judge ordered more than 1,000 USAGM and Voice of America employees back to work by Monday, and the government filed a notice of appeal two days later.
- Judge Royce Lamberth previously ruled Kari Lake’s appointment to lead USAGM unlawful and voided her downsizing moves that left VOA with only limited broadcasts.
- Many employees were laid off or left during the past year and hundreds of contractors are not covered by the court’s order, with some foreign journalists forced to depart after losing J‑1 visa eligibility.
- The White House nominated Sarah Rogers to run USAGM pending Senate confirmation, Michael Rigas was tapped as acting CEO, and Newsmax executive Christopher Wallace was named VOA deputy, prompting renewed concerns about editorial independence.
- Experts stress urgent Persian-language coverage for Iran as RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and VOA work through transmission hurdles, with shortwave resuming in February and medium wave in March from a Kuwait site that RFE/RL says it is funding from its own grant.