‘Mass suspensions’ at VOA after Trump orders gutting of parent agency
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday aimed at dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent organization of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
As the Committee to Protect Journalists responded by calling on Congress to intervene on USAGM’s behalf, reports surfaced of “mass suspensions” of Voice of America employees, and the possible closure of VOA Burmese.
“It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut the Congress-funded agency supporting independent journalism that challenges narratives of authoritarian regimes around the world,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in New York. “We call on congressional leaders to protect this critical agency, which provides uncensored news in countries where the press is restricted.”
CPJ’s research shows that journalists for VOA and RFE/RL often put themselves at risk by reporting in highly censored or dangerous countries.
Also: Rights groups call on FCC to end press freedom threats
Blogger jailed 15 years by al-Assad speaks of her freedom
When Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power last December, Syrian journalist Tal al-Mallohi was among the thousands who poured out of the country’s jails.
Mallohi was 18 when detained after blogging about Palestinian rights and other political issues. She spoke to CPJ about her 15 years in prison, how she is coping with the way the world has changed, and what it means to be a journalist in post-Assad Syria.
Also: In Syria, 3 news crews shot at, assaulted while covering deadly clashes
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