Skip to content

Government & PolicyBreaking

Appeals court upholds block on firing of Voice of America director

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

7 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Gold building plaque reading Voice of America and Broadcasting Board of Governors, International Broadcasting Bureau.
Image via The HillHow images are chosenReport this image

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower-court order blocking the firing of Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz, according to The New York Times, United Press International, The Hill and the Washington Examiner. The New York Times describes the ruling as unanimous and as the latest setback to the administration’s effort to shut down the broadcaster. The Hill reports that former VOA head Kari Lake fired Abramowitz without the independent approval a federal law requires, and the court agreed. The Washington Examiner reports that the judges rejected the government’s argument that the case belonged before the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A D.C. Circuit panel upheld a lower-court order blocking the firing of Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    United Press International, The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    RedState

  2. The panel ruled on Tuesday, November 10.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    United Press International, The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  3. The court found that Kari Lake fired Abramowitz without the independent approval federal law requires.

    Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    United Press International, The Hill

  4. Judge Royce Lamberth ordered Abramowitz reinstated and said the firing was plainly contrary to law.

    One outletUnited Press International· Center

  5. The government argued the case belonged before the Merit Systems Protection Board; the judges rejected that argument, according to the Washington Examiner.

    One outletWashington Examiner· Right

  6. The International Broadcasting Advisory Board was dismantled in January 2025, so the court said it could not act on Abramowitz’s removal.

    One outletUnited Press International· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that the D.C. Circuit panel upheld the block on Abramowitz’s firing. The left and center headlines focus on the illegality of the firing or the restoration, while the right frames the ruling as a court blocking the White House and highlights the judges’ appointing presidents.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    States the court’s finding plainly, that the firing was illegal, and presents the ruling as a setback to the administration’s effort to shutter the independent news group.

    Firing of Voice of America Chief Was Illegal, Appeals Court Rules
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Headlines report the ruling as upholding Abramowitz’s restoration; The Hill names Kari Lake and says the court found the firing illegal, while UPI describes the administration’s attempt to oust him.

    Appeals court upholds restoration of Voice of America director
    United Press InternationalCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets · 1 opinion

    Headlines cast the ruling as a court blocking the White House; the Examiner stresses the judges’ Obama and Biden appointments, and the far-right RedState opinion piece mocks the firing with a playful headline.

    Court blocks White House from firing Voice of America director
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    sought to shutter

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    sought to shutterMore neutral: sought to close

    The verb “shutter” frames the administration’s action as a closure of the outlet, which is a judgement about its aim.

    …decision and was the latest setback to the Trump administration, which has sought to shutter the independent news group.

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • firing was illegal
  • setback to the administration
  • effort to shutter the news group
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Firing of Voice of America Chief Was Illegal, Appeals Court Rules

    The unanimous ruling upheld a lower-court decision and was the latest setback to the Trump administration, which has Loaded verb“sought to shutter”The verb “shutter” frames the administration’s action as a closure of the outlet, which is a judgement about its aim.More neutral: sought to closeDisagree with this highlight? the independent news group.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • appeals court upheld restoration
  • Lake’s illegal firing
  • administration’s attempt to oust him
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • United Press InternationalCenter

    Appeals court upholds restoration of Voice of America director

    A federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday to restore Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz to his role despite an attempt to oust him.

    Read at United Press International (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    Voice of America head was illegally fired by Kari Lake, court says, backing reinstatement

    A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday said former Voice of America (VOA) head Kari Lake illegally fired former director Michael Abramowitz, backing his reinstatement in the role. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • court blocks White House
  • judges’ appointing presidents
  • statutory arrangement makes firing hard
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • ReasonRight

    Does the President's Removal Power Extend to the Voice of America?

    The DC Circuit affirms an injunction barring the removal of VOA head Michael Abramowicz. Will the justices see the case the same way?

    Read at Reason (opens in a new tab)
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    Appeals Court Blocks Firing of Voice of America Director

    The court said that legally, only the International Broadcasting Advisory Board has the authority to remove the director.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Court blocks White House from firing Voice of America director

    Biden– and Obama-appointed judges on an appeals court blocked the U.S. Agency for Global Media on Tuesday from firing the director of the Voice of America. A D.C. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • RedStateFar RightOpinion

    You're Fired! Not So Fast, Says DC Circuit in Voice of America Showdown

    If anyone knows how to fire people, it's President Donald Trump. But the boardroom is a much different setting than the Oval Office, and thanks to a rather unusual statutory arrangement, his administration has discovered that getting rid of one particular federal official isn't …

    Read at RedState (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    53 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 4:47 PM EST

  • Center

    1 hr 7 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 5:01 PM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    Washington Examiner, Nov 10, 3:54 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Washington ExaminerRightNov 10, 3:54 PM EST
  2. The New York TimesLeftNov 10, 4:47 PM EST
  3. The HillCenterNov 10, 5:01 PM EST
  4. United Press InternationalCenterNov 10, 6:11 PM EST
  5. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 10, 8:19 PM EST
  6. ReasonRightNov 10, 9:25 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page