Voice of America (VOA) is looking to collaborate with One America News (OAN), as stated by Kari Lake, a senior advisor at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
This partnership would enable OAN, a conservative news source that garnered support from President Trump following the 2020 election, to provide news feeds for USAGM networks such as Cuban Broadcasting, Radio Martí, and VOA.
“This is a significant benefit for U.S. taxpayers, who are the primary funding source for USAGM news outlets,” Lake posted on social media late Tuesday.
OAN has gained a reputation for backing Trump’s unverified voter fraud claims after his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, alongside other false narratives regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccinations.
Since being dropped by several major cable providers, the network has faced challenges, even as it continues to cover the 2020 election controversies.
“While we can’t edit the content from VOA and OCB, we can ensure that news outlets have a dependable source for reporting,” Lake indicated in her remarks.
Trump, a staunch opponent of mainstream media and a reliable ally to the former president, has raised alarms about the future of foreign broadcasters funded by VOA and other taxpayer sources.
Lake, who previously ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Arizona and a U.S. Senate seat, aims to trim VOA’s budget and overall spending as part of Trump’s broader objectives to limit federal expenditure.
“Every day, I’m exploring ways to save money for American taxpayers,” she noted. “Including OAN as a news provider achieves that.”
