Kari Lake wants to play Goebbels —
Far Right One America News (a propaganda site, not a news site) to provide newsfeed to Voice of America
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/right-wing-one-america-news-provide-newsfeed-voice-america-2025-05-07/
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/nx-s1-5389453/kari-lake-says-oans-far-right-coverage-will-fuel-voice-of-america
#KariLake #VOA #OAN #disinformation #misinformation #FreePress #NotJournalism
David Seide, senior counsel for the #GovernmentAccountabilityProject, which is representing plaintiffs in litigation against the #Trump admin, called the announcement “shocking & illegal” & said it will be challenged in court.
Last year, #OAN settled a #defamation lawsuit w/ #Smartmatic, the #voting tech company, over its coverage of the #2020election & promotion of the #BigLie.
“#Congress mandated #VOA to report reliable & authoritative news, not to outsource its #journalism to outlets aligned w/the president’s agenda,” they wrote in a stmnt. “VOA already has talented & professional #journalists ready to tell America’s story in line w/the VOA Charter, but we are blocked from our own newsroom. That is why we will continue fighting for our rights in court.”
#VoiceOfAmerica WH bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara & #PressFreedom editor Jessica Jerreat, plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits against the #Trump admin over the EO, said this agreement violates the congressional mandate of #VOA.
#KariLake’s announcement was met w/outrage from #VoiceOfAmerica staff, who pointed to #OAN’s #FarRight views, promotion of #ConspiracyTheories & support of #Trump.
“VOA is not to be the voice of left America nor the voice of right America,” said Steve Herman @w7voa, chief national correspondent for #VOA.
“#USAGM cannot dictate [that] VOA run OAN content. It would be a violation of our fire wall & our charter, which are #laws,” he said.
Charles Herring, president of #OAN, confirmed, “OAN will be supplying an extensive amount of programming, including ‘Hungry Heroes,’ a series that highlights the incredible work performed by our first responders and military.”
The #Trump admin is fighting in court to defend a March EO dismantling the #USAGM. The order led to >1k #VoiceOfAmerica staffers being placed on paid administrative leave, & broadcasting has stopped for the first time in the organization’s history.
HOLY 
#Propaganda!
#VoiceOfAmerica will carry #FarRight #OneAmericaNews programming
Staffers at the #GovernmentFunded broadcaster condemned the announcement from #KariLake, given #OAN’s far-right perspective & sycophantic support of #Trump.
Lake, a snr adviser to the US Agency for #Global #Media (#USAGM), the govt body that oversees Voice of America, announced that the agency agreed to provide “news feed services” to #VOA.
#law #FreePress #FourthEstate
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/07/nx-s1-5389453/kari-lake-says-oans-far-right-coverage-will-fuel-voice-of-america
EDITORIAL: Nothing fake about it, news media is the effective defense against despotism
'Only an unfettered and independent media can provide the transparency and accountability needed to hold government officials accountable to their deeds and rhetoric'
EDITORIAL: Nothing fake about it, news media is the effective defense against despotism
'Only an unfettered and independent media can provide the transparency and accountability needed to hold government officials accountable to their deeds and rhetoric'
‘Maduro did not close our bureau – Trump did’: Voice of America journalists speak out
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/07/voice-of-america-journalists-trump
#VOA #FreePress #journalism #censorship
Die Pressefreiheit stirbt in kleinen Schritten – nicht nur in Diktaturen wie Russland, sondern auch in Demokratien wie den USA. Journalisten werden unter Druck gesetzt, Meinungen zensiert. Ohne freie Medien gibt es keine Freiheit. 
#Pressefreiheit #Meinungsfreiheit #Demokratie #FreePress #newz
"America, you gotta wake up!"
Maria Ressa warns of authoritarianism in the US: “This is a pivotal moment"
"Marty Baron, former editor of the Boston Globe and Washington Post, says: 'It used to be that the United States would put pressure on countries for undermining free expression and for limiting freedom of the press. It was something that the United States government actually stood for, and it was also seen as a model for free expression.
Now, it’s not seen as a model at all. Authoritarian leaders, or those who want to be autocrats, have recognised that they’ll receive absolutely zero pressure from the United States. It’s basically given license to other countries to be far more aggressive in attacking the press.'"
“The Bukele dictatorship is preparing arrest warrants for my colleagues at El Faro after the outlet exposed details of President Bukele’s secret ties to gangs.”
-M Granger
El Salvadoran Pres Bukele is just another tinpot dictator, like his friend in the White House.
‘They threatened to bulldoze my house’: fear and violence stalk journalists in Modi’s India https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/ng-interactive/2025/may/04/they-threatened-to-bulldoze-my-house-fear-and-violence-stalk-journalists-in-modi-india?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other #India #Democracy #FreePress
Today is #WorldPressFreedomDay
Listen to Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa on how important community support was for the survival of Rappler under attack from a dictator.
Lessons we should take to heart.
https://bsky.app/profile/jaysenwaller.bsky.social/post/3lo7u7rxod22v
