WASHINGTON, March 17 (Alliance News): The administration of President Donald Trump has begun mass layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other US-funded media outlets, signaling a major shake-up in government-backed broadcasting.
The move has left employees uncertain about their future and raised concerns about press freedom.
A day after placing all employees on leave, the administration sent termination emails to contractual staff, informing them that their jobs would end by March 31.
The email, confirmed by multiple employees, instructed contractors to “cease all work immediately” and barred them from accessing agency buildings or systems.
Contractors make up a large portion of VOA’s workforce, particularly in non-English language services, and many are not US citizens, putting their work visas and residency in jeopardy.
Full-time staff, who have stronger legal protections, were not immediately dismissed but remain on administrative leave without work assignments.
Founded during World War II, VOA broadcasts in 49 languages, targeting countries with limited media freedom.
Liam Scott, a VOA journalist covering press freedom and disinformation, said he was among those dismissed and called the cuts a “broader assault on press freedom” in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. With many journalists unable to work, some VOA services have reportedly resorted to playing music instead of broadcasting news.
The layoffs follow an executive order by President Trump, targeting VOA’s parent agency, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which had 3,384 employees last year and requested $950 million in funding for 2024. The cuts also affect Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Farda, and Alhurra, networks that have long countered government censorship in regions like China, Russia, Iran, and the Arab world.
The White House defended the move, saying “taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda,” a claim that critics argue undermines VOA’s long-standing editorial independence. Trump, with input from tech billionaire Elon Musk, has vowed to downsize government agencies to fund tax cuts, ending foreign aid programs and scaling back departments like Education.
Meanwhile, China and Russia continue to expand their state-controlled media, offering free content to developing nations. China’s Global Times reacted to the VOA cuts by saying “the monopoly of information by Western media is breaking”, calling VOA’s influence a thing of the past.
As US-funded global broadcasting faces deep uncertainty, the decision raises questions about America’s future role in international media influence.
