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Utopia Talk / Politics / VOA dead :-)

LazyCommunist
Member Sat Mar 15 17:27:54
Less American propaganda is good for Russian propaganda!

http://www...ica-other-agencies-2025-03-15/

Trump signed order gutting VOA's parent agency
Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia see funding cut
Conservatives have been critical of the news services

March 15 (Reuters) - Scores of Voice of America employees were placed on leave on Saturday and funding for two U.S. news services that broadcast to authoritarian regimes was terminated, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order gutting the government-funded media outlet's parent and six other federal agencies.
Several workers at Voice of America, an international media broadcaster that operates in more than 40 languages, shared with Reuters an email that placed them on administrative leave with full pay and benefits "until otherwise notified."

The emails, sent by a human resources executive at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the VOA's parent agency, instructed them not to enter their work premises or access internal systems. It was not immediately clear exactly how many employees were put on leave.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media also terminated the grants for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, as well as for Radio Free Asia, which broadcasts to China and North Korea, according to letters seen by Reuters.

Trump's directives look set to curtail an organization of significant reach, including in authoritarian countries where it may serve as a rare source of reliable news. Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA now reaches 350 million people weekly in nearly 50 languages. Including some 1,000 VOA workers, USAGM employed roughly 3,500 and had an $886-million budget in 2024, according to the agency's latest report to Congress.
On its website, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes that it has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government and warns readers in Russia and Russia-occupied Ukraine that they could "face fines or imprisonment" for liking or sharing its content.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said Radio Free Europe had been a "beacon" for populations under totalitarian rule.
"From Belarus to Iran, from Russia to Afghanistan, RFE and Voice of America are among the few free sources for people living without freedom," he wrote on X.
The move follows Trump signing an executive order on Friday instructing USAGM and six other little-known agencies to reduce their operations to the minimum mandated by law, saying it was necessary to shrink bureaucracy.
Trump, who clashed with the Voice of America during his first term, picked former news anchor Kari Lake to be its director for his second term. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias.
On social media on Saturday, Lake said Trump's order affected USAGM "and its outlets VOA and OCB," referring to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. She told employees of the agency to check their emails immediately.

The president of the National Press Club in Washington, Mike Balsamo, released a statement saying the cuts at VOA undermined America's commitment to a free and independent press.
"For decades, Voice of America has delivered fact-based, independent journalism to audiences worldwide, often in places where press freedom does not exist," Balsamo said.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders also blasted the move, with its director general, Thibaut Bruttin, saying it "threatens press freedom worldwide and negates 80 years of American history in supporting a free flow of information."
Some Republicans have accused VOA and other publicly-funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives, and have called for them to be shuttered as part of the efforts by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the government.
On Saturday, Musk made light of the cuts to USAGM.
"While winding down this global government propaganda agency, it has temporarily been renamed the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE)," he wrote on X.
In addition to USAGM, Trump's order also targeted the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency for cuts that would limit them to "the minimum presence and function required by law."
So far, Musk's DOGE has produced potential cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, a freeze on foreign aid and cancellation of thousands of programs and contracts.

murder
Member Sat Mar 15 20:08:46

Radio and TV Marti are dead and some Cuban exiles are so confused.

show deleted posts

LazyCommunist Member	Sat Mar 15 17:27:54 Less American propaganda is good for Russian propaganda! http://www...ica-other-agencies-2025-03-15/ Trump signed order gutting VOA's parent agency Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia see funding cut Conservatives have been critical of the news services March 15 (Reuters) - Scores of Voice of America employees were placed on leave on Saturday and funding for two U.S. news services that broadcast to authoritarian regimes was terminated, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order gutting the government-funded media outlet's parent and six other federal agencies. Several workers at Voice of America, an international media broadcaster that operates in more than 40 languages, shared with Reuters an email that placed them on administrative leave with full pay and benefits "until otherwise notified." The emails, sent by a human resources executive at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the VOA's parent agency, instructed them not to enter their work premises or access internal systems. It was not immediately clear exactly how many employees were put on leave. The U.S. Agency for Global Media also terminated the grants for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, as well as for Radio Free Asia, which broadcasts to China and North Korea, according to letters seen by Reuters. Trump's directives look set to curtail an organization of significant reach, including in authoritarian countries where it may serve as a rare source of reliable news. Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA now reaches 350 million people weekly in nearly 50 languages. Including some 1,000 VOA workers, USAGM employed roughly 3,500 and had an $886-million budget in 2024, according to the agency's latest report to Congress. On its website, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes that it has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government and warns readers in Russia and Russia-occupied Ukraine that they could "face fines or imprisonment" for liking or sharing its content. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said Radio Free Europe had been a "beacon" for populations under totalitarian rule. "From Belarus to Iran, from Russia to Afghanistan, RFE and Voice of America are among the few free sources for people living without freedom," he wrote on X. The move follows Trump signing an executive order on Friday instructing USAGM and six other little-known agencies to reduce their operations to the minimum mandated by law, saying it was necessary to shrink bureaucracy. Trump, who clashed with the Voice of America during his first term, picked former news anchor Kari Lake to be its director for his second term. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias. On social media on Saturday, Lake said Trump's order affected USAGM "and its outlets VOA and OCB," referring to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. She told employees of the agency to check their emails immediately. The president of the National Press Club in Washington, Mike Balsamo, released a statement saying the cuts at VOA undermined America's commitment to a free and independent press. "For decades, Voice of America has delivered fact-based, independent journalism to audiences worldwide, often in places where press freedom does not exist," Balsamo said. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders also blasted the move, with its director general, Thibaut Bruttin, saying it "threatens press freedom worldwide and negates 80 years of American history in supporting a free flow of information." Some Republicans have accused VOA and other publicly-funded media outlets of being biased against conservatives, and have called for them to be shuttered as part of the efforts by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the government. On Saturday, Musk made light of the cuts to USAGM. "While winding down this global government propaganda agency, it has temporarily been renamed the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE)," he wrote on X. In addition to USAGM, Trump's order also targeted the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency for cuts that would limit them to "the minimum presence and function required by law." So far, Musk's DOGE has produced potential cuts of more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian workforce, a freeze on foreign aid and cancellation of thousands of programs and contracts.
murder Member	Sat Mar 15 20:08:46 Radio and TV Marti are dead and some Cuban exiles are so confused.
	show deleted posts

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