The Trump administration has cut funding to Voice of America, Radio Liberty, and other foreign broadcasting networks. Thousands of employees are on "administrative" leave. Critics denounce the measures as something dictators have dreamed of since the Cold War.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has launched a sweeping reduction in staff at Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other government programs created decades ago to defend democracy against totalitarian regimes. The organization's director stated that all Voice of America staff have been placed on "administrative" leave.
On Friday evening, shortly after Congress passed the latest funding bill, Mr. Trump directed his administration to reduce the functions of several agencies to the minimum required by law. These include the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a government-funded organization that includes Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, which broadcasts Spanish-language news in Cuba.
"A huge gift to America's enemies"
"For the first time in 83 years, the illustrious 'Voice of America' has gone silent," said the organization's director, Michael Abramowitz, in a statement. He added that nearly all of its 1,300 staff members have been furloughed.
"Voice of America promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America's story and providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny," Abramowitz said.
"This mission is all the more important as America's adversaries—such as Iran, China, and Russia—spend billions of dollars creating false narratives designed to discredit the United States."
"Even if the agency survives in some form or another, the actions taken today by the administration will severely damage its ability to contribute to the creation of a safe and free world, and thus to the protection of American interests," Abramowitz concluded.
“Everyone is anxious,” added a Radio Free Asia employee. “We have reporters working under surveillance in authoritarian countries in Asia. We have employees in the United States who fear being deported if their work visas expire,” he explained, as quoted by Le Figaro.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international non-governmental organization, stated that it "condemns this decision, which breaks with the historic role of the United States as a defender of freedom of information, and calls on the U.S. government to reinstate Voice of America and on Congress and the international community to take action against this unprecedented decision."
According to RSF, this decision "threatens press freedom worldwide and wipes out 80 years of American history in support of the free flow of information."
"It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut a congressionally funded agency that supports independent journalism that challenges the narrative of authoritarian regimes around the world," reacted Carlos Martínez de la Serna, a senior official with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The U.S. Global Media Agency also sent notices terminating funding for Radio Free Asia and other programs under its purview. Voice of America broadcasts American national news to other countries, often translated into local languages. Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Marty broadcast news to countries with authoritarian regimes in those regions, particularly China, North Korea, and Russia.
Together, the networks reach approximately 427 million people. They date back to the Cold War and are part of a network of government-funded organizations that seek to expand US influence and combat authoritarianism.
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