On Friday, President Donald Trump enacted an executive order aimed at significantly reducing the Voice of America. This initiative seeks to primarily dismantle the government-funded media outlet, along with similar programs such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.
“This order continues the efforts to streamline the Federal bureaucracy by eliminating elements deemed unnecessary by the President,” the order states, which was made public late Friday.
In reaction to this announcement, the nonprofit organization Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the order as “outrageous,” urging Congressional members to stand up for VOA.
“It is outrageous that the White House is attempting to dismantle the Congress-funded agency that supports independent journalism, which counters the narratives of authoritarian governments worldwide,” stated Carlos Martinez de la Serna, the program director of CPJ. “We urge congressional leaders to safeguard this vital agency that delivers uncensored news in regions where press freedoms are limited.”
Since its establishment in 1942, VOA has been a training hub for generations of journalists, operating under the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The outlet broadcasts in over 40 languages, with a mission to provide “accurate, objective news coverage from the U.S. and around the globe,” as stated on the organization’s website.
The executive order specifies that the agencies mentioned—including the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service—must “reduce their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum levels required by law.”
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