US President Donald Trump has issued an order to reduce the funding for the federally supported news organization Voice of America, labeling it as "anti-Trump" and "radical."
According to a statement from the White House, this directive aims to "ensure that taxpayers are no longer responsible for funding radical propaganda," and it included remarks from politicians and right-leaning media that criticized the broadcaster.
Originally established during World War II to combat Nazi propaganda, VOA primarily operates as a radio service and claims to reach hundreds of millions of people worldwide each week.
Mike Abramowitz, the director of VOA, announced that he and nearly all of his 1,300 staff members have been placed on paid leave. He expressed concern that the order hampers VOA's ability to fulfill its "vital mission," which is particularly crucial now as adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia invest heavily in spreading false narratives to undermine the United States.
The National Press Club, a prominent organization representing US journalists, stated that the order "undermines America's long-standing commitment to a free and independent press." They further remarked, "If an entire newsroom can be sidelined overnight, what does that indicate about the state of press freedom? An entire institution is being dismantled piece by piece. This isn't merely a staffing decision; it's a fundamental change that threatens the future of independent journalism at VOA."
The president's order specifically targets VOA's parent organization, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which also provides funding to non-profit entities like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, originally created to counter communism.
Managers are instructed to "minimize performance... to the least presence and function mandated by law." CBS, the BBC's US news affiliate, reported that employees at the Voice of America (VOA) received this information via an email from Crystal Thomas, the human resources director at USAGM. A source informed CBS that all freelance and international contractors were told there were no funds available to compensate them.
Emails obtained by CBS revealed that the leaders of Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were informed of the termination of their federal grants. VOA and other stations under USAGM claim to reach over 400 million listeners, similar to the BBC World Service, which receives partial funding from the UK government.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský expressed hope that the European Union could assist in keeping Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty operational in Prague. He plans to urge European foreign ministers at an upcoming meeting to explore options for at least partially sustaining the broadcaster's activities.
Elon Musk, the billionaire and close advisor to Trump, who has been implementing significant cuts to the US government, has taken to his social media platform X to advocate for the closure of VOA. The US president has also reduced funding for various federal agencies, including those focused on homelessness prevention and support for museums and libraries.
During his first term, Trump was notably critical of VOA and has recently appointed loyalist Kari Lake as a special adviser for USAGM. The president frequently claims that mainstream media outlets are biased against him, labeling CNN and MSNBC as "corrupt" in a speech at the Justice Department.
Voice of America was established in 1942 to counter Nazi and Japanese propaganda, with its inaugural broadcast made using a transmitter lent by the BBC, outlining a modest mission. In 1976, former President Gerald Ford signed VOA's public charter to protect its editorial independence.
By 1994, the Broadcast Board of Governors was created to oversee non-military broadcasting.
In 2013, a change in the law enabled VOA and its affiliates to start broadcasting within the United States.