Voice of America contractors were informed via email that their positions would terminate as of March 31st. This decision comes after President Trump issued an executive order that placed nearly all staff at the government-funded media network on leave. VOA employees, including those on a contractual basis, must stop working immediately and are not allowed to enter any agency buildings or systems. Misha Komadovsky, a White House correspondent for VOA’s Russian-language service, shared news of the termination on social media. Trump’s order aims to eliminate the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees other networks like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. The White House states that the move is to prevent taxpayer funding from being used for “radical propaganda.” This decision, among others by the Trump administration, has drawn criticism from media freedom advocacy groups. VOA has faced accusations of liberal bias from Trump and his supporters, but Brian Padden, a former VOA bureau chief, defended the network’s integrity, stating that VOA reports news and does not create propaganda. Since the executive order was signed, VOA’s broadcasts have gone quiet or been replaced in various regions.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/17/trumpadministration-starts-mass-layoffs-at-media-outlet-voice-of-america?traffic_source=rss