A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore all jobs and funding for the Voice of America and other US-backed news outlets, ruling that efforts to dismantle it violated the law and Constitution.

Over 1,300 VOA employees, including about 1,000 journalists, were placed on leave following President Donald Trump's order. The White House has accused the broadcaster of being "anti-Trump" and "radical".

VOA, still primarily a radio service, was set up during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, and has become a major global media broadcaster.

Chinese state media has welcomed Donald Trump's move to cut public funding for news outlets Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, which have long reported on authoritarian regimes.

The decison affects thousands of employees - some 1,300 staff have been put on paid leave at Voice Of America (VOA) alone since Friday's executive order.

For over eight years — until just two weeks ago — I proudly opened my radio and TV broadcasts with the words: “This is Voice of America from Washington.” People often made sarcastic remarks, accusing me of producing “U.S. propaganda,” both in America and abroad. But I, an adamant believer that America is a force for good in the world, was never bothered by these critiques. The work of my colleagues at VOA centers on truthful journalism designed to reach people in countries where balanced reporting is lacking or outright banned.

President-elect Trump announced he is tapping Kari Lake, a former news anchor and staunch Trump supporter, to head the government-funded news outlet Voice of America.

“I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday night.

Lake will “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media,” Trump added.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he wants ally Kari Lake to be the next director of the Voice of America, a federal network that's part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Trump said on Truth Social that Lake would be nominated by the next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a pick he said he would announce "soon."

Trump said Lake would "ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media."

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday night announced that former Arizona GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake will be the next director of the U.S. government's "Voice of America" (VOA) news agency.

Lake, who ran for Arizona governor in 2022 and the Senate in 2024, worked as a news anchor for more than two decades, the former president said.