The Farsi language news broadcast for Voice of America was abruptly reactivated on Friday, calling back dozens of workers for the news network who had been put on paid leave as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensified, two staff members at the Farsi news service said.
Voice of America, a federally funded news network that reports the news in dozens of foreign languages, had previously included a news service in Farsi, also known as Persian, the language most commonly spoken in Iran. Workers for the Farsi news service were among the vast majority of staff at Voice of America who were placed on paid administrative leave after President Trump signed an executive order gutting the news agency in March.
Employees for the news service have since sued to have the service restored even as the Trump administration moves to all but eliminate the news network. Supporters of the network argued that the service provided credible news in places that lacked an independent press, while the White House accused it of leftist bias.
Kari Lake, a senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, did not respond to a request for comment.
In an email reviewed by The New York Times, workers for the Farsi news service were told they were recalled “effective immediately” and told to “report to your duty station immediately.” Workers were also told to ensure that their security credentials had been reactivated.
About 100 staff members work at the Farsi news service. All the full-time staff members, about half of the total work force, were called back to work, a staffer at the Farsi language service said, but contractors have not been, creating problems as the news agency quickly ramped up production for a television broadcast late Friday evening.
The website for Voice of America’s Farsi language service was updated with a collection of stories on the conflict between Israel and Iran on Friday.
Journalists for Voice of America who were still on administrative leave lamented that staff members were only now being recalled in an emergency, adding that the situation in the Middle East showed why the network never should have been shut down.
“After months off the air, we’ve already lost a lot of audience and credibility,” Patsy Widakuswara, a former Voice of America White House bureau chief who was placed on leave and is leading a lawsuit against Ms. Lake and the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said in a statement. “They should bring us all back so we can respond to breaking news in all parts of the world.”
Jessica Jerreat, an editor at Voice of America who was also placed on leave, said in a statement that “by reducing programming since March, V.O.A. has cut off its audience right at the very moment they need it most.”
Minho Kim covers breaking news and climate change for The Times. He is based in Washington.
Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.
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