Over the weekend, President Trump signed an executive order, a news outlet that would take away the federal agency overseeing the voice of America and for more than 80 years, broadcast news and information to countries where independent reporting is restricted or censored.
Hours after Trump signed an executive order Friday that directed the abolition of the US global media agency, he was notified that many journalists, executives and staff at the organization's Washington headquarters are on paid leave. According to National Public Radio.
Saturday the White House issued a press release titled “Radical American Voice” This cited several claims accusing him of displaying VOAs “Left bias in line with partisan national media.”
Staff reported that they immediately lost access to work emails and internal communication systems.
More than 1,000 full-time employees of Voice of America and the Cuban broadcasting station that runs the radio and television Martí were impacted.
As of Saturday, VOA radio broadcasts were heard in Asia and the Middle East, either silenced or just aired music. According to the New York Times.
The White House defended the decision by pointing to past criticism of the VOA report, which was said to be propaganda, claiming that government-funded media organizations like the VOA are no longer relevant.
Echoing this perspective, Tesla's chief, Elon Musk, who runs government efficiency; I said about VOA: “No one will listen anymore.”
X's White House “quick response” account cited the two-storey as justification that “US taxpayers should not be funded.”
Another story was the headline of the VOA article that was titled. “What is “white privilege”? Who does that help? ”
Kari Lake, a former newscaster-turned politician who ran twice as a Republican to take over Arizona, has been appointed by Trump to oversee the VOA. She recently described its parent organization, USAGM, beyond reform.
Based in Washington, DC, VOA traditionally creates news programs that reach the world through its affiliate network.
Furthermore, many international stations that previously relied on VOA content continue to broadcast without the opinions of US-based journalists.
Some of these networks have begun to have news from state-controlled media from countries such as Russia and China.
“They pulled the plug manipulated,” David Z. Seide, a lawyer for the Government Accountability Project, representing several VOA journalists, told The Times.
Seide is weighing potential legal actions to recover affected employees.
Reflecting this sentiment, the US Foreign Office has pledged to “fierce defense” for VOA members.
The VOA began airing in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda and continued the Cold War as an important tool against Soviet disinformation.
Until this sudden interruption, the VOA reached hundreds of millions of listeners around the world, including repressive regimes such as Iran and China.
VOA charters explicitly protect editorial independence and require balanced reporting at will from political interference.
“The voice of America is to darken the brightly burning beacons during its darkest hours since 1942,” wrote Steven Herman, who was placed on administrative leave earlier this month in a post by X, considered critical of Trump.
This closure will also affect Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, other sister networks, and other sister networks.
Steve Capus, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said ending their grants would be a “massive gift to the American enemy.”
The move has attracted criticism from Trump's own party.
Rep. Michael McCall (R-Texas), former Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, highlighted the important role of the network in combating foreign propaganda, particularly in the authoritarian regime.
“That's why I have a strong support for a lot of that program,” McColl told NPR.
“Such programme” [Radio Free Asia] It provides daily updates in faraway regions, maintains free press in authoritarian countries, ensuring that Americans and people everywhere are not subject to enemy propaganda. ”
