‘A silencing of VOA will be celebrated by communists, autocrats and ayatollahs whose lies we shed light on,’ VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb tweeted over the weekend
President Trump ordered the dismantling of the agency overseeing Voice of America (VOA), placing over 1,300 employees on leave and halting grant programs. The White House justified the action by labeling VOA "radical propaganda," while VOA journalists and executives decried it as a "betrayal" that benefits America's adversaries. Terminated grants were signed off by Kari Lake with conservative media critic Brent Bozell III appointed to lead the USAGM. VOA newscasts were replaced with music and press freedom reporter Liam Scott highlighted the plight of imprisoned journalists who worked for USAGM. The move has been criticized by VOA staff as damaging America's integrity and benefiting autocratic regimes.
