The Trump administration has initiated significant layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other US-backed media outlets, mainly impacting contractors, many of whom are non-US citizens, within the US Agency for Global Media. These job cuts have affected various language services, confirmed via email for termination by the end of March.
In an email verified by multiple employees, they were directed to stop working and are not allowed to enter agency facilities or systems. This instruction was given after all employees were placed on leave. Most full-time VOA staff are still employed under legal safeguards, but are on administrative leave without work duties.
Founded during World War II, VOA broadcasts in 49 languages globally, aiming at countries with restricted media. VOA reporter Liam Scott, covering press freedom and disinformation, was dismissed, effective March 31. He criticized Trump administration’s actions on VOA as a wider attack on press freedom and media.
Trump signed an executive order cutting VOA’s parent organization, US Agency for Global Media. The agency had 3,384 employees in FY 2023 and requested a $950 million budget for this year. Cuts froze RFE/RL and Radio Free Asia, aimed at providing news to regions with limited media access.
US-backed outlets facing cuts include Radio Farda, a banned Persian-language broadcaster by Iran’s government, and Alhurra, an Arabic-language network founded after the Iraq invasion. The White House remarked on taxpayers no longer funding radical propaganda, an unusual stance on VOA’s anti-communism history. This shift occurs amidst China and Russia boosting state media to challenge Western narratives.
Sources News From Various Digital Platforms, Websites, Journalists, And Agencies.
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