International Media

VOA Was Burned Down – Next, NPR?

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Podcast Article in NPR by Staff, 3/21/25

Headline:  “Voice of America Goes Quiet. And, Apocalypse Now?”

The Trump administration has cut funding for Voice of America, the 80-year-old state media network. On this week’s On the Media, how pulling federal funds from VOA’s parent organization will imperil press freedom abroad. Plus, a Radio Free Europe journalist describes being detained for nine months in Russia until she was released alongside Evan Gershkovich.  . . Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Nicole Hemmer, political historian and co-host of the podcast “This Day.” They discuss the complicated history of Voice of America, which was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda. . .”

“Host Micah Loewinger sits down with Alsu Kurmasheva, press freedom advocate and veteran journalist of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service, on what the network provides in countries lacking a free press and her own nine month detention in Russia. Plus, Bay Fang, president of Radio Free Asia, or RFA, on why authoritarians are celebrating Trump’s shutdown and how RFA’s closure will further diminish press freedom in Asia. . . ”

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

Protecting the Sources

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Meghnad Bose, 3/20/25

Headline:  “How News Publications Are Changing to Protect Immigrant Sources”

Subhead:  “Several outlets say they’ve loosened anonymity policies in recent weeks.”

“A few days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Heather Tirado Gilligan, the managing editor of El Tímpano (The Eardrum), a small local newsroom in California known for covering the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan communities, launched an updated guide to protecting immigrant sources. The new policy called for identifying any individuals who were not public figures or experts by their first name and last initial—and, in certain circumstances, using a pseudonym. . .”

“El Tímpano is one of a large number of publications, especially those that write about or for immigrant communities, wrestling with what sorts of additional measures they should take to protect the people they cover. Many of these outlets are simply doubling down on extensive policies they’ve had for years; others are taking novel steps, including going out of their way to help potential subjects understand the implications of talking to the press.

“At the Miami Herald, senior editor Jay Ducassi recently sought—and received—approval to liberalize the paper’s policy on anonymous sourcing for immigrants, inspired by a request from Syra Ortiz-Blanes, the paper’s immigration reporter. Ducassi, who has been at the paper—including a brief stint with its Spanish-language sister publication El Nuevo Herald—since 1999, is characteristically skeptical about using unnamed sources, but he believes the times merit a new approach. ‘It’s not our job to make Immigration [and Customs Enforcement]’s job easier by identifying targets,’ he said. . .”

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/immigrant-sources-anonymous.php

Historic U.S. Broadcaster Gagged

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AP – Andrew Harnik photo

Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Liam Scott, 3/18/25

Headline:  “The Last Days at Voice of America“

Subhead:  “Covering the press freedom beat at VOA, I got a front-row seat to its demise.”

“On Saturday, about thirteen hundred Voice of America staffers, myself included, were placed on administrative leave. VOA’s final broadcast went out; its website was updated one last time. For the first time since its creation, in 1942, to combat Nazi propaganda, VOA went silent.

As a press freedom reporter, I’ve spent the past few years constantly interacting with groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders. But this time, it was my editor, Jessica Jerreat, and I who reached out to sound the alarm. I wasn’t acting in an official capacity—in fact, I had been ordered not to work—but I felt I had to do something.

Dozens of VOA staffers in Washington are on J-1 visas, and if they lose them, they may have to return to countries whose governments have a record of jailing critics. Two VOA contributors are imprisoned in Myanmar and Vietnam, and I didn’t want them to be forgotten. . . .”

https://www.cjr.org/first_person/last-days-voice-of-america-voa-trump-kari-lake.php

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 3/18/25

Headline:  “Trump’s silencing of Voice of America sparks shock, outrage”

“President Trump’s decision to gut the government agency that oversees Voice of America (VOA) has shocked staffers, who have been ordered to stop working, and fueled concern about the U.S. retreating as a champion of press freedom worldwide. . .”

“Employees who spoke with The Hill this week described a chaotic span of 48 hours after employees received an email Saturday telling them to cease all reporting until further notice. . .”

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5201754-voa-shut-down-trump/

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Article in Al Jezeera by Staff, 3/17/25

“United States President Donald Trump’s administration has begun laying off staff at Voice of America after signing an executive order placing nearly all employees at the government-funded media network on leave.

“VOA employees working on a contractual basis on Sunday received an email informing them that they were being terminated effective March 31.

“In the email, which was seen by Al Jazeera, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) said contractors must ‘cease all work immediately’ and were ‘not permitted to access any agency buildings or systems’ . . “.

“Trump’s directive is the latest in a series of moves to draw condemnation from media freedom advocacy groups, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, which branded the latest order ‘dystopian’. . . ”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/17/trumpadministration-starts-mass-layoffs-at-media-outlet-voice-of-america

No More Media Diplomacy?

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Article in Huffpost by Lydia O’Connor, 3/17/25

Headline:  “Trump Orders Closure Of Government-Backed, Anti-Propaganda Media Outlet”

Subhead:  “Voice of America has been broadcasting news into oppressive regimes since World War II.”

“. . . The order Trump signed Friday calls for the closure of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which manages VOA and other diplomatic news efforts. More than 1,300 of VOA’s journalists and other staffers were placed on administrative leave Saturday, according to a Facebook post from VOA Director Michael Abramowitz obtained by The Washington Post.

Kari Lake, the Agency for Global Media’s special adviser who once called for the imprisonment of journalists, cheered its demise on social media, saying: “There’s a reason it’s referred to as ‘pound-for-pound the most corrupt agency in Washington DC.’ Because it is!”

A press release from the agency was even harsher, calling it “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer — a national security risk for this nation — and irretrievably broken. . .”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-voice-of-america-executive-order_n_67d852e9e4b0f3826e4c595b

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Article in Reporters Without Borders, 3/17/25

Headline:  “US Agency for Global Media shutdown: RSF warns of the dangers facing nine journalists detained abroad”

“Following the Trump administration’s orders to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding the alarm over the risks facing USAGM staffers around the world, including nine journalists currently imprisoned abroad for their work. RSF calls on the international diplomatic community to immediately mobilise to obtain the release of these journalists and ensure the safety of all USAGM journalists worldwide.

In a decree issued on 14 March 2025, US President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of USAGM, the federal agency overseeing several independent media outlets, such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). On 15 March, Voice of America (VOA) employees received an email announcing they were immediately placed under administrative leave. ”

https://rsf.org/en/us-agency-global-media-shutdown-rsf-warns-dangers-facing-nine-journalists-detained-abroad

End of Radio on Freedom?

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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/

Awarding Good Journalism

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Article in Columbia Journalism Review by John Darnton, 3/14/25

Headline:  “A Little Light amid the Gloom”

Subhead:  “At a time of flagging faith in journalism—and among journalists—the Polk Awards spotlight the vital role the press still plays.”

“. . .The George Polk Awards are deluged with entries for outstanding work across all media platforms, and as curator I go through all of them. This year there were four hundred and ninety-three. . .”

“Now, I know that many newsrooms are gloomy and anxious places these days.

“But not all is dark. I can vouch that the year’s publications and broadcasts, when seen in their entirety, are wide in scope and deep in substance. The rambunctious spirit of street reporting and savvy editing is still very much alive.

“Among our winners this year are a foreign correspondent who risked his life to cover Sudan’s civil war, a health reporter who uncovered hidden commercial factors for the government’s lagging response to the outbreak of bird flu, and a national TV team that exposed the practice of a Texas medical school selling the body parts of unclaimed corpses without bothering to beat the bushes to inform next of kin. . .”

https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/little-light-amid-gloom-george-polk-awards.php

Social Media Tweeting – Treason?

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Article in Raw Story by Cark Gibson, 2/29/25

Headline:  ” ‘Treasonous’: Trump investigates public media reporters for criticizing his administration”

“Several journalists employed by an outlet funded by the U.S. government have found themselves in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs, according to a new report.

“In a Friday article, the New York Times reported that one longtime journalist at Voice of America (VOA) — which is funded by Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media (AGM) — had been put on an extended ‘excused absence’ pending a human resources investigation following a tweet flagged by Trump advisor Richard Grenell. VOA chief national correspondent Steve Herman said the investigation was meant to determine whether his ‘social media activity has undermined VOA’s audiences’ perceptions of the objectivity and/or credibility of VOA and its news operations.”

“In the tweet, Herman quoted a nonprofit leader who criticized Trump’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development as making Americans ‘less safe at home and abroad.’ Grenell called Herman’s tweet ‘treasonous.’ ”

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2671243816/

Russian Media Waltzing

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Article in The New Republic by Edith Olmsted, 2/28/25

Headline:  “Russian State Media Almost Waltzed Into Trump’s Zelenskiy Meeting”

Subhead:  “How the heck did a Russian state media reporter get access to the Oval Office?”

“As the White House cracks down on which news outlets are allowed to have access to President Donald Trump, it seems that a member of Russian state media was somehow able to make their way into the Oval Office Friday.

“While mainstream outlets the Associated Press and Reuters were kept out of a tense discussion between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a member of Tass, a Russian news agency that pushes propaganda about Russia’s ‘liberation’ of Ukraine, was briefly in the room with the two world leaders.

“A White House official told Politico that Tass was ‘not on the approved list of media’ for the day’s press pool.

“ ‘As soon as it came to the attention of press office staff that he was in the Oval, he was escorted out by the Press Secretary,’ the official said, adding that the reporter wasn’t on the list of the now-canceled press conference after, either.

“The White House did not explain how the reporter was able to gain access to the Oval Office, despite not being on the list for entry.”

https://newrepublic.com/post/192183/donald-trump-volodymyr-zelenskiy-meeting-russian-state-media

US Media Control Expands to Namibia

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Article in The Guardian by Rachel Savage, 2/27/25

Headline:  “Namibian media outlets have reacted with anger and dismay after they were asked by the US embassy whether they were affiliated with western publications whose subscriptions have been cancelled by the US state department.”

“On 11 February, the state department ordered its outposts to cancel “non-mission critical” media subscriptions as part of the Trump administration’s drive to cut government costs.

“A 14 February directive then instructed prioritising the cancellation of subscriptions to the Economist, the New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, the Associated Press and Reuters, according to the Washington Post.

“Donald Trump’s second presidential term has started with a wave of initiatives to reduce the size of government and purge it of anything deemed to be liberal.”

The Namibian, an independent newspaper, was asked by a US embassy staff member on 18 February via email: “Are you or any of your services associated/affiliated with the following companies: The Economist, the New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News Feed, Associated Press, or Reuters? If so, could you please explain how? ie Do you re-run their stories or are you a subsidiary of the publication?”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/27/namibia-media-outlets-angered-us-scrutiny-western-news-subscriptions

Media Missing Numbers?

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Article in Common Dreams by Ralph Nader, 2/24/25

Headline:  “An Indifferent Media Is Failing to Report the 400,000 Dead in Gaza”

Subhead:  “Only the Palestinians, who are not allowed to live, don’t get the respect of having their deaths accurately estimated”

“Enough already of the media’s lazy indifference to the vast undercount of the Palestinian death toll from Netanyahu’s genocidal daily bombing and shelling of Gaza’s defenseless civilian population. I’m referring to all the media – the corporate media, the public media, and the independent media. They all stick with the Hamas Ministry of Health’s (MOH) count of named victims whose corpses have been identified by hospitals and mortuaries. For months there have been no operating hospitals and mortuaries to send their grisly data to the Health Ministry.

“The official Hamas count that all sides like to cite is now over 48,000 deaths. As American doctors back from Gaza before the Rafah closing last year said—just about everybody surviving in Gaza is sick, injured, or dying. They put the death estimate almost a year ago at a minimum of 95,000, not counting tens of thousands of families buried under the rubble when Israeli F-16s blew up entire apartment buildings. . . ”

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/real-death-toll-gaza