VOA To Carry Reports From One America News Network

Kari Lake, a senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), announced via a post on X that Voice of America (VOA) would carry programming from the One America News Network (OAN).

Lake stated that this decision was made to provide "reliable and credible options" for VOA’s reporting and news programs while also saving taxpayer money. She described OAN as a cost-effective video/news source for VOA’s global broadcasts, including specific mention of supplying news to U.S. broadcasts to Cuba.

 

The announcement sparked significant backlash from VOA staffers and media veterans, who criticized it as a violation of VOA’s congressional mandate for independent, non-partisan journalism. Critics, including former VOA employees, argued that OAN’s pro-Trump bias and history of promoting disinformation, such as claims of a stolen 2020 election, undermine VOA’s credibility and its mission to deliver fact-based journalism to 360 million listeners worldwide. 

Lake had previously laid off nearly VOA’s entire workforce and cut contracts with major news agencies like AP, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, suggesting the OAN partnership was part of a broader effort to transform VOA into a pro-Trump propaganda outlet. 

The decision comes amidst ongoing legal battles over the Trump administration’s attempts to restructure or dismantle VOA, with Lake’s actions facing judicial setbacks for exceeding executive authority. The move to include OAN content has been framed by Lake as part of modernizing USAGM, but opponents view it as an attack on press freedom and democratic values abroad.