The Trump administration has initiated moves to terminate nearly 500 employees at Voice of America (VOA), a federally funded news organization. The outlet made this announcement late, on a Friday night. It follows a long and turbulent stretch rife with allegations of bias. Critics say that these actions do great harm to a free press. They further argue that this weakens America’s use of soft power in the world.
In June, VOA was indicted for its decision to lay off 639 employees. Firstly, they went back on those notices due to administrative mistakes. The recent announcement to move forward with a new batch of terminations came as a surprise to many. It appeared only a day after a judge upheld the administration’s attempt to fire VOA’s director, Michael Abramowitz, on procedural grounds.
President Donald Trump’s administration has labeled VOA as “radical,” which many interpret as an attempt to limit the organization’s scope and influence. This characterization has been met with strident condemnation from reporters and civil rights organizations. Efforts like these claim to threaten the independence of the press.
The damage from the Trump administration’s attempts to roll back job protections goes far beyond the direct loss of those jobs. Critics say that these moves endanger the independence of the press. They further argue that they deprive the United States of valuable means to project soft power around the globe. Even more important today, VOA helps combat disinformation, informs and inspires people with lack of independent media and freedom of the press through support for democratic values.
Kari Lake, a notable supporter of the administration’s approach, stated that these actions would “help reduce the federal bureaucracy, improve agency service, and save the American people more of their hard-earned money.” Employees at VOA pushed back hardcore on that characterization.
“We find Lake’s continued attacks on our agency abhorrent.” – VOA employees (via a statement to CBS News)
The recent developments at VOA reflect a broader trend of tension between the Trump administration and federal agencies perceived as critical of its policies. It’s not just that the administration is trying to fundamentally change everything we love about the media landscape. Consequently, fears of the honesty, accuracy, and impartiality of government communications have increased significantly.