Tsion Girma Tadesse

Statement from Save VOA following mass termination of personal service contractors #SaveVOA

The SaveVOA X account is back! Yesterday, X suspended @savevoanow which was restored today after the social media team appealed.

Our attorneys in Widakuswara (VOA) v Lake (USAGM) are asking that all 11 judges on the DC federal court of appeals conduct an en banc review after 2 of 3 judges of the circuit court blocked a ruling that had ordered the Trump administration to call back our staff and resume broadcasts.

BREAKING: we are going for en banc review in the Voice of America case

The Constitution demands no less

Beyond the Reefs: the future of journalism with Reporters Without Borders In March 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media—an institution that oversaw Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and other vital outlets delivering independent news across some of the world’s most repressive regimes.

Four Radio Free Asia contributors are currently detained in Vietnam. In Russia and Myanmar, Voice of America journalists are behind bars. For these reporters, the shutdown isn’t a bureaucratic decision—it’s a life-threatening blow.

‘Fight back’: journalist taking Trump administration to court calls for media to resist attacks Patsy Widakuswara, lead plaintiff in lawsuit fighting order to dismantle Voice of America, says US government is becoming more aggressive

On @theguardian.com : “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, VOA's White House bureau chief.
#SaveVOA #PressFreedom

On Saturday afternoon (5/3), the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the appellate court) granted the motion from USAGM/the government for a stay pending appeals.
🧵

On Press Freedom Day (5/3), we thanked our allies and supporters who have been working tirelessly in their efforts to #SaveVOA and defend press freedom.

This is our thankful thread 🧵

@govacctproj.bsky.social
Government Accountability Project
Emery Celli Abady Brinckerhoff Ward & Maazel, LLP

This is not just about saving the jobs of journalists. VOA’s broadcasts play an important role in protecting US and global security. Already adversaries are filling the void as VOA is silenced.

#SaveVOA #VOAMatters #StandWithJournalists

Trump Live Updates: Latest on Deportations, Economic Policies, Foreign Movie Tariffs and More

White House Offers Money to Migrants Who Deport Themselves
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05...

Sudan war: People eating charcoal and leaves to survive, aid agency warns People are trekking under "blistering" heat to escape "horrific circumstances", the BBC is told.

Sudanese eating charcoal and leaves to survive, aid agency warns
Sudanese people are eating leaves and charcoal to survive after fleeing an attack on a camp for displaced people near the city of el-Fasher, an aid agency has told the BBC.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Govt has officially filed an appeal.

Judge halts Trump's shutdown of Voice of America Over 1,300 VOA employess - including about 1,000 journalists - were put on leave following President Donald Trump's executive order.

Judge Lamberth said the administration acted "without regard to the harm inflicted on employees, contractors, journalists, and media consumers around the world".

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Victory for Press Freedom:
In this video, lead plaintiff and VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reacts to the decision — a significant step forward in the fight to protect independent journalism.
#SaveVOA #PressFreedom #VOA

VOA just won two Webby Awards — Judges’ + People’s Voice — for our “History of AI” explainer in the Tech category.

#WebbyWinner #VOA #AIExplainer #PublicMedia

𝗛𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝟯𝟱 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗢𝗔, 𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝟮𝟬. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵

VOA's reporter Lisa Vohra shares an emotional moment when she tells her father who's suffering from dementia that all VOA staff has been put on administrative leave, and its broadcast has gone silence.
#SaveVOA
Check 🫱 bit.ly/SaveVOA

White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and other groups The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed gutting the State Department’s budget by almost 50%, closing a number of overseas diplomatic missions, and eliminating funding for nearly...

White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and other groups

Your Tax Dollars at Work: VOA’s Global Reach & Strategic Impact
#SaveVOA
1/3🧵

A breakdown of how VOA is a powerful and incredibly cost-effective force for truth. Your tax dollars support unbiased, fact-based journalism, reaching 360 million globally.
#SaveVOA
2/3🧵

By telling American stories and perspectives, VOA is a crucial soft-power tool for U.S. strategic diplomacy and national interest.
Call your members of Congress. Keep VOA alive.
#SaveVOA
3/3🧵

In a powerful message, Kim Aris, the son of Aung San Suu Kyi, calls for VOA to be restored. He emphasizes VOA's and Radio Free Asia (RFA) crucial role in supporting press freedom and democracy. He urges people to contact their lawmakers to help ensure VOA and RFA continue their vital work.
#SaveVOA

The Voice of America has been on the frontlines of reporting the world’s biggest news stories.
But this time VOA became the headline itself.
The impact this caused has been felt around the world.
We appreciate all the support you’ve already shown us.
#savevoa

Please keep showing your support by clicking bit.ly/SaveVOA

What’s Lost if Voice of America Disappears: Watchdog Spirit, Intrepid Reporters, and Focus on the Global South To dismantle VOA and other US-funded affiliates would be to silence decades of coverage in overlooked parts of the world on topics like human rights, corruption, and war crimes.

To dismantle VOA and RFE/RL would also silence hundreds of reporters who have spent years or decades serving overlooked parts of the world and who are often the only ones covering topics like human rights, corruption, and war crimes — sometimes at great personal peril.
#savevoa

LA Times Today: Under Trump, the Voice of America has fallen silent. U.S. enemies are cheering Watch L.A.

During World War II, the Voice of America was created to broadcast messages of freedom and democracy to a global audience. It was an anti-propaganda tool used to fight disinformation from the Axis powers.
Now the Trump administration is trying to gut it, putting the entire staff on leave.
#savevoa

Voice of America's Chief National Correspondent Steve Herman is supporting the legal battle to restore VOA to TV, radio and the internet after it was suddenly silenced by the Administration and 1,350 of his colleagues were told to stop working. #savevoa

A free press matters is more than just a tagline at VOA. We broadcast to the most censored countries and many of our journalists report at great risk to their safety. That is why Press Freedom Editor Jessica Jerreat is part of the legal effort to #SaveVOA and its staff.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara is leading the legal battle against the Administration’s silencing of @VOANews, because for her it’s more than just a job; it’s personal. #SaveVOA