President Trump's decision to sabotage the agency that oversees the US Voice (VOA) shocked staff who promoted concerns about the US retreat as a champion of press freedom around the world.
The weekend president signed an executive order aimed at essentially eliminating seven federal agencies, including the US Global Media Agency (USAGM), the federal organization governing several other networks around the world, including the US Global Media Agency (USAGM), Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia.
An employee who spoke with Hill this week explained that the employee had told them they had received the email on Saturday, a 48-hour chaotic span of 2018 and that they would stop reporting all of them until further notice.
Reporters, editors and producers were said to have been placed on paid administrative leave immediately as a result of Trump's orders, and quickly lost access to Work Technology Systems, Reporting Tools and VOA's offices in downtown Washington, D.C.
“Everyone was shocked,” a VOA staff member told The Hill, saying the outlet has employees, freelancers and contract workers on several continents around the world. “It's like the UN of emotional distress here.”
VOA employees were not said as of Tuesday that the period they remained on vacation would indicate what the long-term fate of the network's vast global reporting infrastructure would be.
Many VOA correspondents report from war-torn regions and authoritarian regimes where independent media is restrained or not.
“Donators around the world are celebrating this and laughing at us,” another VOA staff member told Hill. “Everyone is so sad because so many of us have dedicated our lives to spreading truth where the light is not shining.”
For decades, Voice of America has been a symbol of freedom of speech and an important channel for conveying American ideals of transparency and democracy around the world.
“When VOA reporters ask if this is a free and fair election, they are Americans and they can escape it, and they open the door for other local journalists to do the same,” said one reporter who has worked in Africa for many years.
The sudden move to Shutter VOA shocked its ranks and files, but signs of a massive change at the agency have been evident for weeks.
Trump led the agency late last year by tapping Firebrand conservatives and former TV news anchor Kari Lake, who is a senior adviser to the agency.
Lake publicly supported Trump's executive order over the weekend, vowing to help eradicate “waste, fraud and abuse” with the VOA.
Lake previously rejected the outlet being transformed into “Trump TV” under her, but she also wants VOA to produce content and coverage that aligns with Trump's message.
“Unfortunately, this product is not a pro-American,” Lake said in a recent interview with Trump's loyalist and media personality Steve Bannon. Lake also claims that the broadcast network is spending money “recklessly” and turns that behavior into a necessary way.
After the US government was created after World War II as a platform to spread Western messaging during the Cold War, Voice of America has recently provided news and information in nearly 50 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 354 million people.
Penn America, a major press freedom group, called the administration's move, in a statement to the Hill, essentially shutting down “devastating losses to global truth and democracy” and calling on Congress to protect the outlet.
“These networks provide independent news and cultural programming for a closed society where freedom of the press is under siege,” the organization said.
David Krigerman, who previously worked as the chief legal officer and general counsel for the US Global Media Agency, argued that Trump's move could be on a volatile legal foundation.
“Destroying this reliable and important source of information overnight is not only unprecedented, but also illegal, as is the case with the closing of agents and placing all of their employees on administrative leave,” Krigerman said.
“The move will give President Trump's free rule for loyalists and make sure they invest 700 beans a year in broadcasters that are in line with their political agenda, rather than the essential information needed in closed countries or beyond.”
Late Tuesday, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sued Lake and the Trump administration in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging that the court's declaration had undermined the power of Congress' wallets.
Borderless reporters defending the rights of journalists around the world estimate that more than six USAGM reporters are currently jailed abroad for outlet jobs, calling the administration's move “betrayal.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment and neither did the VOA representative reply.
Agency director Michael Abramowitz called the decision to shutter “self-harm” to US national security interests “Shutter voa” in an interview with CBS News this week.
“When America pulls out the arena and hands it over to the enemy, they'll tell the story that people all over the world are hearing and that it's not good for America,” Abramowitz said. “They'll hear anti-American stories. We need to fight it.”
Update: 6:22pm
