Voice of America headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 14, 2025. Francis Chung/Politico/AP
The Voice of America might not dwell as much as its formidable title for for much longer.
Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, mentioned in a Fb publish on Saturday that he was positioned on depart, together with “just about the whole employees” of 1,300. The announcement comes sooner or later after President Trump signed an govt order to intestine VOA’s mother or father company.
A few of VOA’s local-language radio stations have stopped broadcasting information studies and converted to music to fill the airtime, in response to listeners.
Even prime editors at VOA have been ordered to cease working, so workers anticipate the broadcaster’s worldwide information protection to grind to a halt, in response to half a dozen sources who spoke with CNN on the situation of anonymity.
“The Voice of America has been silenced, not less than for now,” a veteran correspondent mentioned.
Voice of America is a part of the US Company for International Media (USAGM), which additionally runs networks like Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Center East Broadcasting Networks. These networks are additionally on Trump’s chopping block, as networks’ contracts with the operators have been terminated.
Whereas Trump allies argue that the broadcasters are bloated and outdated, advocates say that by dismantling the networks, america is ceding the airwaves to China and different world powers, thereby harming American pursuits overseas.
The USA has been funding worldwide information and present affairs protection supposed for international audiences for many years. Each Republican and Democratic leaders have supported the makes an attempt to advertise correct information — and democratic values — in locations which might be saturated by overseas propaganda.
The company’s mission assertion, codified in regulation, is to “inform, interact, and join folks all over the world in help of freedom and democracy.”
However the Trump administration has totally different expectations. An inside memo earlier this month mentioned the mission is to “clearly and successfully current the insurance policies of the Trump Administration all over the world.”
Trump appointed conservative media critic Brent Bozell III to run the mother or father company and tapped election-denying former TV anchor Kari Lake to run VOA. Bozell’s Senate affirmation listening to is months away, with Lake serving as a “senior adviser.” Lake signed among the emails saying Saturday’s cuts.
Lake tweeted that the dismantling was taking impact as a result of “the president has issued an Government Order titled Persevering with the Discount of the Federal Paperwork.”
Trump’s order mentioned affected companies ought to cease performing all work that isn’t statutorily mandated, and do the remainder with as few folks as attainable.
The order was consistent with Elon Musk’s declaration in February that government-funded worldwide broadcasters needs to be shut down altogether.
“No one listens to them anymore,” Musk posted on X. “It’s simply radical left loopy folks speaking to themselves whereas torching $1B/yr of US taxpayer cash.”
Advocates for the retailers strongly disagree, pointing to the broadcasters as a bulwark for democracy. These voices embody Republican lawmakers.
“Gutting Radio Free Asia and different U.S. Company for International Media platforms counters the rules of freedom our nation was based on and cedes leverage to the Chinese language Communist Occasion, North Korea and different regimes,” Rep. Younger Kim, a California Republican who chairs the Home Choose Committee on East Asia and Pacific, advised Politico final week.
It’s unclear what’s going to occur subsequent to the USAGM’s varied platforms.
Along with the workers who had been placed on depart Saturday, some contractors who had been working for VOA had been advised handy of their badges.
Different staffers went to VOA workplaces on Saturday to collect their belongings as a result of they feared being locked out altogether, sources mentioned.
However in a current memo, earlier than Trump signed his order, Lake made it sound just like the broadcasters will live on in some trend going ahead.
“It’s important we acknowledge our company is funded by hardworking American taxpayers, lots of whom are struggling to make ends meet,” Lake wrote earlier this month. “Meaning we’ve an added accountability to revive their belief whereas working effectively and actually to cowl this consequential second in our nation’s historical past.”
Lake mentioned she would modernize the company “into one thing the American persons are prepared to help.”
Abramowitz mentioned in his Fb publish that “VOA wants considerate reform, and we’ve made progress in that regard,” however sidelining the employees signifies that VOA received’t be capable of perform its mission.
“That mission is very important at this time,” he wrote, “when America’s adversaries, like Iran, China, and Russia, are sinking billions of {dollars} into creating false narratives to discredit america.”
The American International Service Affiliation launched an announcement Saturday that it “will mount a vigorous protection of USAGM and the International Service professionals whose experience is indispensable to its mission.”
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