WASHINGTON, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. issued the following statement today following U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth's order to restore Voice of America operations. 

"The National Press Club commends the court's decision to restore VOA's operations and return hundreds of journalists back to work. For a year, these journalists have been sidelined from their vital work providing independent news and information to millions of people worldwide, particularly those who often lack access to independent and trustworthy information in their own countries.

The National Press Club, through its nonprofit affiliate, has provided emergency financial assistance to VOA media workers who have lived with employment uncertainty over the last year. The court's decision is a victory for those workers and all VOA employees, and for those who believe in a free and independent press.

Shuttering a newsroom is not reform. It's censorship. Today's ruling is a reminder that a free press cannot be switched off at will.

We urge swift compliance with the court's order and full restoration of VOA's newsroom and affiliated services. This includes the many contracted employees whose work supports news production across dozens of languages.

While we welcome the court's decision, we stand firm that VOA journalists must be allowed to perform their work independently and without political interference. We call on the administration and Congress to curb any policy or practice that limits that editorial independence.

Silencing journalists weakens democracy at home and abroad. The court has made clear that you don't get to turn off a free press when coverage becomes inconvenient."

Media contact: Beth Francesco, executive director for the National Press Club Journalism Institute, media@press.org

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SOURCE National Press Club