Silencing the Voice of America: A controversial service nears its end
Washington D.C.: The Trump administration has begun laying off staff at Voice of America (VOA), the government-funded media network, following an executive order that placed nearly all employees on leave. Contractors were informed via email that their positions would be terminated effective March 31, 2025, and were instructed to cease work immediately and relinquish access to agency systems.
The move is part of a broader effort to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Free Asia. The White House defended the decision, claiming it would stop taxpayer funding for “radical propaganda” and citing criticisms of VOA by conservative media and lawmakers.
Media freedom advocates, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the order as “dystopian". VOA, established during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, operates in over 40 languages and reaches a global audience of 354 million weekly. Critics argue the network provides balanced reporting, despite accusations of liberal bias from Trump and allies like Elon Musk.
Since the executive order, VOA broadcasts in regions like Asia and the Middle East have gone silent or been replaced by music, raising concerns about the erosion of independent journalism and global media freedom.
VOA is no stranger to controversy
VOA has faced several controversies over the years, mainly involving accusations of political bias, funding concerns, and its role as a government-run media organization.
VOA is supposed to maintain editorial independence, but there have been accusations of political interference, particularly from presidential administrations. During the Trump administration, Michael Pack, who led the USAGM, was accused of attempting to reshape VOA with a more partisan agenda by firing leaders and investigating journalists for bias.
Given its government funding, some critics have argued that VOA functions as a tool of US propaganda, particularly in countries where the US has strategic interests.
The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 originally prevented VOA from broadcasting directly to US audiences to avoid influencing domestic public opinion. However, the 2013 amendment to the law allowed VOA content to be accessed within the US, raising concerns about potential government influence on American news consumption.
Some employees and external critics have claimed that VOA leadership sometimes censors reports that could be unfavorable to the US government or its allies.
VOA has had security breaches and credibility issues, including instances where reporters were accused of working with foreign intelligence agencies. There have been reports of tensions among staff, particularly concerning coverage of China, Russia, and Iran, where editorial choices can have geopolitical consequences.
On April 2, 2007, VoA's Persian-language service gave airtime to Abdul Malik Rigi, leader of Jundullah (a group with suspected links to al-Qaeda), despite protests frm the Iranian government. Rigi was captured by Iranian security services and executed in 2010.
It has also been reported that a VoA relay station in Thailand was used as a CIA black site referred to as "Cat's Eye" or "Detention Site Green".