Friend,

Earlier this week, we learned that senior Trump adviser Kari Lake wants to turn over control of the Voice of America (VOA) newsroom to the notorious pro-Trump propagandists at One America News.¹ One America News is best known for spreading Trump’s “Big Lie” about the 2020 election outcome — misinformation that led to the violent Jan. 6 insurrection. Now Trump wants to give One America News an international outlet for its far-right coverage and authoritarian talking points.

VOA, a U.S.-funded global news service established during World War II, reaches a worldwide audience of more than 360 million people. According to its charter,² VOA operates under a guarantee that is supposed to preserve its independence and shield its reporting from the White House. That all changed when the Trump regime began its systematic purges: Trump placed most of VOA’s staff on leave and is battling in court to fire them.

If Kari Lake succeeds in replacing independent VOA content with One America News propaganda, its global programming will simply be a mouthpiece for MAGA lies and hate.

This all fits a larger pattern, as the Trump administration attempts to bully into silence any news organizations that question his far-right agenda. These authoritarians have laid out a clear ultimatum for the press: Transform into administration mouthpieces, or face the consequences. We’re seeing it with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s censorship and shakedowns,³ with Trump’s efforts to zero out all public funding for NPR and PBS,⁴ and with billionaire media owners like Jeff Bezos⁵ who are all too willing to bend a knee before the president.

Many of these actions are blatantly illegal, and likely violations of our First Amendment right to a free press.

Now, Trump and his minions seek to give One America News’ propagandists the biggest megaphone imaginable — are these really the people you want speaking as the voice of America?

Journalists must have the freedom to report news that can inform the public, hold power to account and shine a light on corruption. Audiences have a right to reliable and objective information.

Independent media is one of the most essential ways we protect democracy and people’s access to ideas and information — and with public media under particular threat from Trump and his cronies, we’ll be in touch with more opportunities for you to take action with us and defend a free press.

Thank you,

Tim and the rest of us at Free Press

P.S. Help Free Press keep fighting to protect press freedom with a donation today.

1. “Kari Lake Says OAN's Far-Right Coverage Will Fuel Voice of America,” NPR, May 7, 2025

2. “Mission, Firewall and Charter,” Voice of America Office of Public Relations

3. “Free Press Calls a Process Foul on FCC Chairman Carr's Latest Attempt to Do Anything and Everything to Please Trump,” Free Press, April 28, 2025

4. “Order to End Federal Support for NPR and PBS Is a Legally Dubious Push to Censor Media Coverage Trump Dislikes,” Free Press, May 2, 2025

5. “Extra! Extra! Jeff Bezos Makes the Case for Nonprofit News,” Free Press, February 27, 2025