Trump closes down Voice of America and VOA Staff Sue; China is pleased.
Trump moves to close down Voice of America is by Thomas Mackintosh & Merlyn Thomas.‘Discarded like a dirty rag’: Chinese state media hails Trump’s cuts to Voice of America is by Kelly Ng. Both are published by the BBC.
The Institutional Dismantling
In a significant move that has reverberated through international media landscapes, President Trump’s executive order targeting the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has effectively dismantled Voice of America (VOA). VOA is a historic broadcasting institution founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda. The order has placed approximately 1,300 staff on paid leave and terminated funding for VOA, Radio Free Asia (RFA), and Radio Free Europe, marking a critical moment in international journalism.
Historical Significance and Global Reach
Historically, VOA has been a beacon of independent reporting. It reaches around 360 million people weekly in nearly 50 languages. VOA was tasked with the crucial mission of providing unbiased information in regions where press freedom is severely restricted. The cuts have elicited dramatically different responses from global actors. Chinese state media jubilantly celebrated as the Global Times denounced VOA as a “lie factory” and declared it “discarded like a dirty rag.” In stark contrast, press freedom advocates, including the National Press Club, view these cuts as a fundamental threat to independent journalism and international communication.
Geopolitical and Informational Implications
The geopolitical implications are profound. By reducing funding to these critical media outlets, the order potentially creates an informational vacuum that could benefit authoritarian regimes in regions like China, North Korea, Cambodia, and Russia. VOA and its sister organizations have been instrumental in exposing critical human rights issues. VOA covered detention centers in Xinjiang, Covid-19 protests in China, and systemic human rights violations in restricted media environments.
Strategic Communication and Diplomatic Consequences
Beyond the immediate organizational impact, these cuts represent a strategic shift in international communication. They potentially compromise a vital tool of soft power that has historically provided independent reporting in regions where state-controlled media dominates. The move raises significant questions about the future of independent international journalism and the United States’ commitment to global information exchange.
These two articles offer a look into the complex intersections of media, politics, and international communication. The full BBC articles provide an exploration of this pivotal moment in media history. These works invite readers to dive deeper into the implications of the unprecedented cuts.
Learn more about how VOA staff are fighting back in this article by David Folkenflik | NPR: “Voice of America staff sue Trump administration for shutting down network”
Six Voice of America journalists sued Kari Lake and the Trump administration on Friday [March 21], alleging their moves to shut down the U.S.-funded network were unlawful and unconstitutional.
