Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide “newsfeed services” for free to USAGM networks, including Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America (VOA).

The announcement came after weeks of efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle the agency. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order mandating that USAGM “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.”

That resulted in more than 1,000 employees being placed on leave and the termination of 600 contracts. But U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction in April blocking it.

The decision to offer OAN could greatly expand the potential reach of content from the cable network, which has been a plaintiff in several high-profile libel lawsuits and was dropped by DirecTV and Verizon in 2022. OAN is no longer carried by a major pay TV provider.

[Editor's note: On May 14, 2025 Herring Networks, the parent company of OAN, announced that its networks OAN and AWE would be carried on certain Charter's Spectrum video packages.]

But the agreement has proved controversial and was immediately condemned by VOA staffers. “VOA is not to be the voice of left America nor the voice of right America,” said Steve Herman, chief national correspondent for VOA, who was quoted by the Washington Post. “USAGM cannot dictate [that] VOA run OAN content. It would be a violation of our fire wall and our charter, which are laws,” he said.

In a social media post on X, Lake admitted that “In my current role as Senior Advisor to USAGM, I don't have editorial control over the content of VOA and OCB programming, but I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs.”

Lake explained that “This idea came about after OCB suggested we explore OAN as a newsfeed option for the Miami-based, U.S. Government-funded news operation broadcasting to Cuba. At their suggestion, I reached out to OAN, and they offered to provide their newsfeed and video service free-of-charge."

"This is an enormous benefit to the American taxpayer, who is the sole-source of funding for USAGM's news outlets, which broadcast only to international audiences," Lake said. "And every day I look for ways to save American taxpayers money. Bringing in OAN as a video/news source does both.”

Lake described “OAN is one of the few family-owned American media networks left in the United States,” but did not mention controversies surrounding the network.

The network’s promotion of conspiracy theories promoting the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump prompted libel suits from Dominion Voting Systems, Smartmatic and a Dominion executive. OAN settled the suits by Smartmatic and the Dominion executive; the Dominion suit is ongoing.

Following the settlement of the two cases, OAN did not issue a public apology, but it did quietly delete the articles advancing conspiracy theories about Dominion from its website in 2021.

A Southern Poverty Law Center investigation into commentator Jack Posobiec, who was a host on OAN between 2018 and 2021, found that “Posobiec—a Trump favorite—has collaborated with white supremacists, neo-fascists and antisemites for years, while producing propaganda that Trump and his inner circle have publicly celebrated.”

“Jack Posobiec’s extensive ties to white supremacists should serve as a wake-up call for anyone who hasn’t made the connection between Trump’s MAGA movement and hate,” said Michael Edison Hayden, the SPLC senior investigative reporter who covered the story about Posobiec and his ties to white supremacy and the White House.

In recent years, OAN has worked to find an audience with content to the right of Fox News Channel.

A 2021 Pew Research survey found that only 7% of Americans got political news each week from OAN and that their viewers skewed older and less educated.

It found that while Fox News has a core audience of conservative Republicans, it also has large audiences among Democrats. “The much smaller Newsmax and OAN audiences are made up largely of older and White Americans and conservative Republicans,” the 2021 survey found.

The Trump administration’s efforts to shut down the Voice of America broadcast network were handed a setback this week when a federal court judge ordered the administration to restore the service.

The shutdown of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was ordered as part of the administration’s DOGE cuts and was termed illegal by VOA at the time it was ordered in March. The executive order to “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” resulted in more than 1,000 employees being placed on leave and the termination of 600 contracts.

This resulted in the first time since it was founded in 1942 that the VOA had to terminate its broadcasts. The VOA sued the administration, accusing it of taking a “chainsaw approach” to the service. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also sued the USAGM “to avoid irreparable harm” to the service. VOA and RFE/RL are both funded by Congress.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction ordering that the administration “take all necessary steps” to reinstate employees and contractors as well as to restore funding to Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Network. Lamberth—who is presiding over a half-dozen lawsuits filed by employees and contractors—is also requiring the broadcasters to file monthly status reports to confirm that USAGM is complying with his order.

The ruling “is a victory for the rule of law, for press freedom and journalistic integrity, and for democracy worldwide,” said Everett Kelley, president for the American Federation of Government Employees. “The Trump administration’s illegal attempt to shutter Voice of America and other outlets under the U.S. Agency for Global Media was a transparent effort to silence the voices of patriotic journalists and professionals who have dedicated their careers to spreading the truth and fighting propaganda from lawless authoritarian regimes. This preliminary injunction will allow these employees to get back to work as we continue the fight to preserve their jobs and critical mission.”

Late last month U.S. District Court Judge J. Paul Oetken issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration for taking any further action to shutter VOA.

WASHINGTON—Michael Pack, whose time overseeing Voice of America has been surrounded by controversy and criticism, officially resigned on Jan. 20 at the request of the Biden administration, NBC News reports.

Pack was appointed the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media by former President Donald Trump in June. The appointment was immediately controversial, as critics claimed that his actions were designed to turn VOA and other networks under his purview more into mouthpieces for the Trump administration than as the independent journalists promoting democracy that their missions dictate.

During his time leading the agency, Pack fired senior executives, refused to renew visas for many foreign journalists and had his actions questioned by a federal judge and Congress.

“I serve at the pleasure of not one particular president, but the office of the president itself,” Pack wrote to staffers in an email obtained by NBC News. “The new administration has requested my resignation, and that is why I have tendered it as of 2 p.m. today [Jan. 20].”

NBC News has more on Pack’s resignation. 

WASHINGTON—Michael Pack, CEO of Voice of America’s parent company, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in the summer of 2020, is facing a couple of charges questioning his actions as VOA leader in what is expected to be his final days in the position.

As CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Pack oversees five networks—Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Network and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting—that reach 350 million people worldwide and whose stated mission is to “inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy, ” per its website.

However, a group of whistleblowers are accusing Pack of using Voice of America for propaganda, particularly with a planned appearance from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Five recent chiefs of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who were appointed by both Democratic and Republican administrations, warn of the potential long-term threat “to the credibility and professionalism” of the USAGM’s five networks.

It is alleged that Pack, who is said to likely be removed from his position after President-Elect Biden is sworn in, is attempting to put himself and conservative allies into the boards that will steer Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Network after his removal.

Pack was also accused by the Attorney General of the District of Columbia of illegally funneling more than $4 million to a private document company that he owns through a not-for-profit that he also controls.

Pack has been criticized since his appointment by previous Voice of America executives, as well as congressional leaders. Pack even skipped a Congressional hearing for which he was subpoenaed to testify about recent firings he made. In addition, two judges have ruled that Pack has acted illegally in office, according to WXXI News.

For more information on these latest allegations, visit WXXI News. 

WASHINGTON—The long-standing role of Voice of America as an international broadcaster independent from government influence is being questioned under the new leadership of Michael Pack, CEO of the United States Agency for Global Media. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will address these concerns during a hearing scheduled for July 8.

Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.) officially called Pack to testify for this hearing.

Pack, after three years awaiting Senate approval, was officially appointed by President Trump to his current role with USAGM, which oversees VOA, on June 16, at which time VOA Director Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara resigned from their positions. 

According to a press release from Engel’s office, Pack also removed the heads of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Network and the Open Technology Fund. He also named new boards to these services that are comprised of himself, his chief of staff, three Trump administration political appointees from across the Executive Branch and Jonathan Alexandre, senior counsel of the lobbying arm of Liberty Counsel, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as an anti-LGBTQ hate group, per Engel's press release.

Engel also says he learned that Pack intended to remove eight career agency employees in USAGM’s traditionally nonpolitical front office. The action has reportedly been paused, but Engel says that he has suspended delegations of authority to these individuals, meaning they can no longer perform their duties.

“The law requires that American international broadcasting be independent from influence by any administration official—including the CEO,” said Engel in the press release. “Mr. Pack’s day-one purge of senior officials and appointment of right-wing ideologues and Trump loyalists sends an alarming message. Mr. Pack should explain to the Committee and the American people his vision for the agency, the reason for terminating so many senior staff all at once and his other initial actions as CEO.”

The Society of Professional Journalists have also commented on the first days of the USAGM and VOA under Pack, saying that his actions make it clear his intention is to “move the agency away from its charter and legal position of providing independent and unbiased reporting to that of a propaganda machine” like in a totalitarian state. 

SPJ says that VOA has been a hallmark of independence from political control across the globe for more than 70 years.

“While previous administrations have criticized the coverage of VOA when its reporting showed the world the shortcomings in American society and American policy, none has engaged in the full-scale removal of the editorial leadership we have seen this month,” the SPJ’s press release reads. “This move by Pack and the Trump administration is sending the wrong message to the hard-working journalists in the VOA and to the world. The message is one of intimidation that independent and balanced journalism is not to be tolerated.”

SPJ National President Patricia Gallagher Newberry added: “To keep going in the direction that the administration seems set upon will remove the very strength that has established VOA as a highly respected, professional news organization.”

The USAGM had no official comment at the time of publication regarding the hearing, but in a press release announcing the early moves by Pack, he is quoted as saying:

“Every action I carried out was—and every action I will carry out will be—geared toward rebuilding the USAGM’s reputation, boosting morale and improving content. I made a solemn promise to Congress, to the president and the American people to execute this plan. Indeed, I am not doing it unilaterally. To the contrary, this plan is wholly pursuant to the bipartisan language that was developed and approved by Congress and the previous administration, both of which readily recognized that the agency had grown obsolete and ineffective implementing its statutory mission.”

The hearing with the Committee of Foreign Affairs is set for July 8 at 2 p.m. ET.

WASHINGTON—Two of The Voice of America’s (VOA) top executives have announced their resignation following the Senate confirmation of Michael Pack, who President Donald Trump has appointed as the new head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees the international broadcaster, according to a report from NPR.

VOA Director Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara announced their resignation in a farewell message where they thanked staff members but also raised concerns about the future of editorial independence under Pack.

“Nothing about you, your passion, your mission or your integrity changes,” said Bennett in her message to VOA staff. “Michael Pack swore before Congress to respect and honor the firewall that guarantees VOA’s independence, which in turn plays the single most important role in the stunning trust our audiences around the world have in us.”

Pack is a conservative filmmaker and supporter of President Trump. The president has been a critic of VOA—a publicly-funded broadcaster—and some of its coverage. Critics of the appointment worry that he may jeopardize the broadcaster’s editorial independence and push more favorable coverage of the Trump administration.

The full story is available on NPR’s website. 

Covering the White House is an amazing responsibility for any journalist, never more so than in 2019. Doing it for the Voice of America brings its own challenges and opportunities. The session “VOA at the White House: Covering the Administration” will be presented at The Video Show, a two-day event in Washington, Dec. 4–5.

In the session, Steve Herman, White House bureau chief for the Voice of America, will share his experiences, some of the hard lessons he has learned and how VOA approaches its role in today’s contentious media climate. How do you cram a pool of 22 reporters, videographers, still photographers and audio tech into the Oval Office anyway?

The Video Show caught up with Herman for a minute ahead of the show.

The Video Show:How is your approach to covering the White House different than the other correspondents there?

Steve Herman: VOA broadcasts to the rest of the world in 47 languages, we do not target a domestic U.S. audience. So our focus is quite different on White House issues than most news outlets covering the administration. Stories that have a geo-political angle—something about Russia or Africa, for example—are important to our audiences, who are less interested in West Wing process stories that might be consuming the attention of most White House reporters on any given day.

TVS:What have you found to be the most challenging aspect of the White House beat?

SH: Multitasking, definitely. When I’m in the Oval Office or on the tarmac next to Air Force One with the president, I’m simultaneously recording broadcast-quality audio for all the radio networks as the pool reporter, sending pool reports to those networks, also snapping a few photos or recording a video clip on my iPhone and then tweeting out the gist of what’s happening.

The Video Show will feature more than 100 sessions on nine presentation stages, as well as a dedicated screening room, demo areas, streaming studio and dynamic exhibit floor. Want to hear more about this topic? Visit thewebsiteto learn more and register.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors has updated its brand.

The board, which oversees government-backed international programming services including the Voice of America, is now the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

The reboot is meant to convey that the digital age agency now extends far beyond TV and radio to include digital and mobile platforms.

The agency is headed by John Lansing as CEO. Lansing is the former head of CTAM and president of Scripps Networks.

"The term "broadcasting" does not accurately describe what we do," said Lansing. "The new name reflects our modernization and forward momentum while honoring our enduring mission to inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy."

Lansing said the decision was made in consultation with the Trump Administration, Congress and others. "in a time of shifting politics, challenging media landscapes, and weaponized information," he said. "Our identity and name will now address these realities."

In addition to VOA, USAGM comprises Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Television and Radio Martí), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).