32 JULY-AUGUST 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Case Studies Iran offers one of the clearest illustrations of what has been lost. For years, VOA’s Farsi language programming provided Iranians with comprehensive, multiplatform coverage that combined daily news, in-depth analysis, live call-in shows, and reporting on human rights and U.S. policy debates. That breadth and consistency created a trusted alternative to state-controlled information and enabled millions of Iranians to follow and understand U.S. actions in real time. Since the February 28 start of the Iran War, in particular, the absence of sustained, authoritative reporting by VOA in Farsi and other languages has allowed narratives promoted by U.S. adversaries to dominate foreign public discourse. Despite a scramble to restore some programming, the result bears little resemblance to VOA’s earlier presence: It reaches fewer audiences, lacks the depth and continuity that once defined VOA’s reporting, and cannot counter the volume and velocity of statedriven anti-American narratives. In Russia, where VOA once provided clarity and a trusted alternative to state propaganda, Kremlin-controlled media now dominates the information space unchallenged. After the Russian government forced VOA to close its Moscow bureau in 2022, we were still able to reach Russians on digital platforms. Now, however, with the termination of VOA broadcasts altogether, reliable information about the U.S. is much harder for ordinary Russians to access, and the loss extends far beyond U.S. policy explanation. VOA offered what no domestic outlet could safely provide: sustained coverage of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian system, including the shrinking space for political opposition, pressure on independent media, pervasive corruption, and the manipulation of elections and public institutions. It reported on the harassment, imprisonment, and murder of opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov—stories state media distorted or ignored. With the silencing of VOA, Russians lost The U.S. retreat from the global information contest has eroded its capacity to shape global understanding and ceded influence to competitors. AFSA, along with co-plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit (Widakuswara v. Lake, Case No. 25-5144) on March 21, 2025, in the Southern District of N.Y., which was transferred to the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2025. The lawsuit challenges the unlawful actions taken by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) following Executive Order 14238, which directed massive restructuring and elimination of non-statutory components of USAGM. Plaintiffs argue that USAGM’s actions abruptly dismantled human infrastructure needed for its news networks without adequate legal or procedural basis, causing severe harm to both journalists and the public. On March 17, 2026, a federal district court judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on part of the case—a significant win. But on March 31, a federal appeals court partially put that ruling on hold while the case continues. Specifically, the appeals court paused the requirement that USAGM return employees who had been placed on administrative leave back to work. The appeals court also consolidated the case with a related case (Abramowitz v. Lake, Case No. 25-5145 and Case No. 26-5086). The legal battle is moving on two tracks (i.e., in the district court and the court of appeals) simultaneously. On April 6, the plaintiffs asked the district court to enforce an earlier order requiring the government to submit a plan for restoring USAGM operations by April 1, 2026. That same day, the government asked the district court to reconsider its earlier ruling in the plaintiffs’ favor. On April 20, the plaintiffs formally opposed that request. The appeals court set the following schedule for written arguments: the government’s brief due May 11, 2026; the plaintiffs’ response due June 10, 2026; and the government’s reply due July 1, 2026. —From the AFSA Lawsuit Tracker https://afsa.org/afsa-lawsuit-tracker A Two-Track Legal Battle
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=