US President Donald Trump’s new executive orders to demolish the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) put over 1,300 journalists on hold.
According to Politico, Trump has signed orders to stop financing US-funded media, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA), which has sparked massive outrage.
A day after the Republican president decided to freeze funding for the media organisations, VOA, RFE/RL and other state-funded media outlets’ journalists and correspondents from all over the world were told on Saturday, March 15, 2025, to stop working.
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The European Commission told POLITICO on Sunday, March 16, 2025, “These media outlets have been a beacon of truth, democracy, and hope for millions of people around the world. In an age of unmoderated content and fake news, journalism and freedom of the press are critical for democracy.”
The EU executive suggested that the decision would risk “benefiting our common adversaries.”
Moreover, VOA’s director Michael Abramowitz expressed, “I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced.”
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus suggested that the cancellation of the grant agreement would be a huge gift for the US enemies and would allow the Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk to celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years.
Furthermore, Reporters Without Borders, the international nongovernmental organisation, also strongly condemned Trump’s decision and called on the US Congress and the international community to take action against the “unprecedented move.”
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