Voice of America (VOA), the largest U.S. international broadcaster, has been "blacklisted" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for interview requests because it allegedly promotes foreign propaganda, the multimedia agency reported on Sunday.

According to the VOA report, an email sent by a CDC spokesperson on April 30 contained instructions to ignore media inquiries made by the government-funded news network.

"NOTE: as a rule, do not send up requests for Greta Van Sustern [sic] or anyone affiliated with Voice of America," read the email. 

Van Susteren hosts a weekly news show called "Plugged In" on VOA.

The CDC guidance was accompanied by a link to a story published in the White House daily newsletter, which accused VOA of spending taxpayers' money to promote foreign propaganda.

The White House story, published on April 10, made it specific that it was the Chinese propaganda that VOA was promoting. One of the reasons it gave to support the claim was that "VOA called China's Wuhan lockdown a successful 'model' copied by much of the world."

The CDC has so far not responded to VOA's media request regarding this matter. 

"VOA, a federally-funded independent news organization, strongly rejects the accusations and calls on the CDC to immediately withdraw the instructions," VOA Director Amanda Bennett said on Sunday. 

The news agency was able to obtain the email because it was one of four documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. The Knight Institute, an independent group dedicated to expanding freedom of the press, secured the release of the documents by bringing a lawsuit in response to alleged White House suppression of CDC information. It was previously reported that CDC experts were being prevented from speaking with the press or making public statements and had been told to coordinate with the vice president's office before speaking with journalists.

The Trump administration's propaganda allegations against the federally-funded broadcaster have drawn widespread criticism.

"The accusation would be outrageous if it were not simply ridiculous," wrote The Washington Post in an editorial a day after the White House story was released. In a sarcastic tone, the commentary said by doing so, the Trump administration had confirmed VOA's editorial independence from the White House.

(Cover image: A sign marks the entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia, October 8, 2013. /AP)