The International Press Institute (IPI) condemns the Trump administration’s decision to effectively dismantle Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. This move will strengthen autocrats around the world and deprive millions of alternative, reliable sources of news and information.
The outlets are governed by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which the Trump administration ordered on March 15 to eliminate its activities to the maximum extent allowable by law. As a result of the executive order, all Voice of America staff were placed on leave, and USAGM terminated funding to RFE/RL and RFA.
Since Voice of America’s founding in 1942, all three outlets have been crucial sources of news and information in authoritarian environments, ranging from the Soviet Union during the Cold War to Iran, China, and North Korea today.
Bay Fang, RFA’s president and CEO, called the decision “a reward to dictators and despots”. In a statement, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said, “The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years.”
IPI urged the U.S. government to reverse the decision and protect the outlets’ operations and staff.
“This move will severely impact the ability of millions living in authoritarian states to circumvent censorship and access alternative sources of news”, IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said. “IPI stands in solidarity with the thousands of affected VoA, RFE/FL, and RFA journalists, many of whom have braved immense dangers to report the news in countries without a free press.”
The three outlets are publicly funded through an appropriation from the U.S. Congress, with a combined reach of 450 million readers, viewers, and listeners per week around the world, according to viewership statistics.