KLIK SAJA - Hundreds of journalists at Voice of America (VOA)—representing the majority of its remaining staff—have been dismissed by President Donald Trump’s administration, effectively shutting down the U.S.-funded news agency.
The administration justified the sweeping layoffs by claiming the agency was "riddled with dysfunction, bias, and waste."
Still, the decision is deeply regrettable, as VOA had long been regarded as an effective communication bridge between the United States and the rest of the world.
Steve Herman, VOA’s chief national correspondent, called the dismantling of the organization—originally founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda—“a historic act of self-sabotage.”
Among those dismissed were Persian-language journalists who had previously been on administrative leave but were recalled to duty last week following Israel’s attack on Iran.
According to the Associated Press, the reporters had stepped outside for a cigarette break on Friday, only to be barred from re-entering the building after their termination notices were issued.
"Today, we took bold action to implement President Trump’s agenda of downsizing the bloated federal bureaucracy," said Kari Lake, the Trump-appointed head of VOA, in a statement released Friday, confirming the layoff of 639 employees.
In total, more than 85% of the agency’s workforce—approximately 1,400 people—have lost their jobs since March.
Lake noted that only 50 employees will remain across VOA, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and VOA’s parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
In a joint statement, three VOA journalists currently suing to stop the network’s shutdown described the latest round of terminations as “the death knell for 83 years of independent journalism that championed American ideals of democracy and freedom around the world.”
This move had been anticipated since March, when President Trump ordered VOA and its umbrella agency USAGM—which also funds outlets like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia—to be dismantled “to the maximum extent permitted by law.”
Over the years, these agencies have earned global respect for their journalism in countries where press freedom is severely limited or virtually nonexistent—from China and Cambodia to Russia and North Korea.
However, in an op-ed published last year, former VOA correspondent Dan Robinson argued the outlet had become “a hubris-driven rogue operation often reflecting a left-leaning bias in line with the partisan national media.”
Trump’s criticism of VOA is part of his broader campaign against the U.S. media, which surveys show is viewed by the American public as deeply polarized.
