Voice of America leadership transition: midst a significant shift in U.S. media policy, more than 1,300 employees of Voice of America (VOA) were placed on administrative leave as of March 15, following an executive mandate by President Donald Trump. The order, which came into effect on Friday, instructed the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and six other federal entities to scale back their functions to the bare minimum required by law.
Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, expressed profound disappointment, stating that the historic broadcaster, operational in nearly 50 languages and reaching global audiences, had essentially been muted after 83 years of service.
“VOA has been a pivotal force in advocating for freedom and democracy worldwide, and its silence is deeply saddening,” Abramowitz declared in a LinkedIn message.
Parallel cuts impacted Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), both renowned for delivering independent journalism in authoritarian regions such as Russia, China, and North Korea. The move has spurred widespread backlash from advocates of press freedom and international leaders who caution that these closures may embolden repressive regimes.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky labeled RFE as a “light of hope” for those living under oppressive rule. “From Belarus to Iran, Russia to Afghanistan, RFE and VOA are some of the rare free media sources for those deprived of liberty,” he conveyed on X.
The National Press Club in Washington likewise criticized the decision, with President Mike Balsamo noting, “For decades, VOA has provided fact-based, independent journalism to global audiences, many of whom have limited access to free press.”
Conversely, Kari Lake, a staunch Trump supporter and nominee for VOA director, supported the decision, describing USAGM as a “massive drain on American taxpayers” and vowed to reduce the agency to its legally defined minimum, declaring it “irredeemable.”
Still on Voice of America leadership transition:Tech mogul Elon Musk, who is spearheading governmental downsizing through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), downplayed the concerns, humorously suggesting on X that USAGM would temporarily be rebranded as the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE).
Trump’s executive order also extended to organizations like the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, amongst others. The White House defended the budgetary cuts, claiming they would spare taxpayers from financing “extreme propaganda.”
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