WarMonitor on Nostr: All roughly 1,300 journalists and other staffers with Voice of America (VoA) and the ...

All roughly 1,300 journalists and other staffers with Voice of America (VoA) and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), international news broadcasting agencies aired in 48 languages and funded by the U.S. Government, arrived at work this morning only to find out they had been locked out and indefinitely suspended, following an order last night by U.S. President Donald J. Trump which directed the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to terminate all agencies not required by Federal Law. President Trump’s order also affected USAGM contracts with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, which have all now been cancelled, ending U.S-linked broadcasts supporting democracy and free press in authoritarian regimes across the world since the 1950s.

Steve Capus, the President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said in statement today shared with NPR, “The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's grant agreement would be a massive gift to America's enemies. The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker. We've benefitted from strong bipartisan support throughout RFE/RL's storied history. Without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies who depend on us for accurate news and information each week won't have access to the truth about America and the world."