International
Trump Administration Shuts Down Voice of America, Lays Off Staff
- Trump signs executive order dissolving US-funded media agency, triggering VOA staff layoffs
- Contractors ordered to cease work immediately as VOA broadcasts go silent in multiple regions
- Press freedom groups condemn move as “dystopian,” citing risks to independent journalism
President Donald Trump’s administration has begun laying off staff at Voice of America (VOA) following an executive order that places nearly all employees at the U.S. government-funded media network on leave.
On Sunday, contract workers at VOA received termination notices effective March 31. An internal email from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), seen by Al Jazeera, instructed contractors to “cease all work immediately” and barred them from accessing agency buildings and systems.
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Misha Komadovsky, VOA’s Russian-language White House correspondent, confirmed the news on X, stating, “Our contracts will be terminated effective March 31, 2025.”
The layoffs come after Trump signed an order on Friday dismantling USAGM—which oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and other outlets—aiming to eliminate what he described as taxpayer-funded “radical propaganda.” The White House cited conservative criticism of VOA and similar networks as justification.
Media freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the move. CPJ labelled the executive order “dystopian,” warning it undermines press freedom.
Tensions between the Trump administration and VOA date back to Trump’s first term, when the White House accused the outlet of siding with “America’s adversaries.” In 2020, a federal judge ruled that Trump-appointed USAGM CEO Michael Pack violated constitutional protections by probing journalists for alleged bias.
Former VOA journalist Brian Padden responded to the layoffs, recalling past dangers he faced while reporting, including harassment by pro-Russian militants. “VOA does not do propaganda. VOA reports the news,” he wrote.
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Since Friday’s order, VOA programming has gone silent or been replaced by music in several regions, including Asia and the Middle East.
VOA, launched during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, operated in more than 40 languages and reached an estimated 354 million people weekly worldwide.
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