Article in The Guardian by Edward Helmore, 3/15/25
Headline: “Trump sharpens attacks on US media as Voice of America employees put on administrative leave”
Subhead: “President denounced CNN and MSNBC as ‘illegal’ and instructed VoA’s parent agency to be eliminated”
“Donald Trump expanded on his threats to the media on Friday, suggesting actions of the press should be deemed illegal and subject to investigation. . .”
“On Saturday, government-employed journalists at Voice of America (VoA) were put on administrative leave, a day after Trump signed an order eliminating the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VoA’s parent company, along with six other federal agencies.
“Reporters at VoA, which broadcasts news, information and cultural programming in nearly 50 languages to a global audience, were placed on ‘administrative leave with full pay and benefits until otherwise notified’ . . .”
The decision to place VoA employees on administrative leave came a day after its parent moved to terminate contracts with the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and told its journalists on Friday to stop using material from the wire services. . .
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/15/trump-media-attacks
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Article in Time Magazine by Nicholas Riccardi / AP, 3/15/25
Headline: “Trump Signs Order to Cut Staff at Voice of America and Other U.S.-Funded Media Organizations”
“On Friday night, shortly after Congress passed its latest funding bill, Trump directed his administration to reduce the functions of several agencies to the minimum required by law. That included the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which houses Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia and Radio Marti, which beams Spanish-language news into Cuba. . . ”
“. . . The agency also sent notices terminating grants to Radio Free Asia and other programming run by the agency. Voice of America transmits United States domestic news into other countries, often translated into local languages. Radio Free Asia, Europe and Marti beam news into countries with authoritarian regimes in those regions like China, North Korea and Russia.
“Combined, the networks reach an estimated 427 million people. They date back to the Cold War and are part of a network of government-funded organizations trying to extend U.S. power and combat authoritarianism that includes USAID, another agency targeted by Trump.”
https://time.com/7268630/trump-executive-order-staff-cuts-seven-government-entities-agencies/