All Voice of America (VOA ) employees have been placed on administrative leave as a result of the Trump administration’s significant cuts to a number of government-funded media outlets in the US.
Following the passage of the US Agency for Global Media’s most recent funding costs, President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in operations at the US company. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Marti, which provide separate news to nations like China, Russia, and Cuba, even experienced the breaks. In a statement posted on the networking site Linked In, VoA director Michael Abramowitz stated,” I am profoundly saddened that the storied Voice of America is being silenced for the first time in 83 times.
He informed that more than 1,300 editors, suppliers, and support personnel had been taken off. By telling the story of America and providing objective and fair news and information, particularly for those who live under tyranny, “VOA promotes liberty and democracy around the world.”
Michael added that many of them immigrated to America from authoritarian nations where they were unable to easily pursue journalism.
Early on Saturday morning, Kari Lake, Trump’s most recently appointed top adviser to the company, posted a message on X urging people to check their messages. Shortly after, staff received formal notices instructing them to gain government-issued products and placing them on paid administrative left.
Press campaigning organizations have voiced opposition to the decision. Reporters Without Territories criticized the choice, calling it a “departure from the US’s historical role as a defender of free knowledge.”
The cancellation of money for these systems would be a “massive present to America’s opponents,” warned Stephen Capus, president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Invoices and its sister organizations have been instrumental in preventing authoritarian propaganda, including USAID, and reaching a total of about 427 million people worldwide since the Cold War.
Previous head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Thomas Kent, warned that the destruction of these platforms was left the US’s world tale in the hands of its allies.
The Trump administration has previously vowed greater command over VOA, ending agreements with AP and limiting access to the media share.
The most recent reductions target organizations like the US Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Kari Lake defended the cost-cutting steps in a movie on X, criticizing VOA’s company leases and promising to reduce operations. She made no mention of the effect on reporters or the wider vision of VOA, though.
Invoices staff are currently on paid leave.
