“Censorship and propaganda are two sides of the same coin,” the lawsuit states. A USAGM spokesperson said Monday that VOA’s broadcasting must reflect U.S. policy, neglecting to mention the outlet’s legally required independence. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s follow-up question about whether USAGM’s leaders are choosing to ignore the statutory firewall. Lake and acting CEO Michael Rigas are also named in Monday’s complaint for allegedly censoring much of VOA’s reporting. A major example of this interference, the suing journalists argue, is in VOA’s coverage of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Source: Huffington Post March 24, 2026 13:41 UTC