Locked doors at the VOA building in Washington DC on March 16.
Fox News reported on March 17 that US President Donald Trump directed the dissolution of Voice of America (VOA), a state media agency that he criticized for promoting biased news.
“VOA has been out of step with America for many years,” a White House official said, adding that VOA has been promoting divisive propaganda for many years now.
On March 14, Mr. Trump signed an executive order directing the dissolution of seven government agencies, including the US Agency for Global Media, the parent agency of VOA and RFE.
“The non-statutory components and functions of the following government entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and such entities shall be reduced to the performance of statutory functions and related personnel to the minimum level of presence and functions required by law,” the order states.
Kari Lake, who was appointed by Trump to be the next director of VOA in December 2024, is currently a senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media. She has asked staff to “check their emails” for more information about their future employment.
The Wall Street Journal reported that employees received emails on March 15 detailing that their jobs had been terminated, although it was unclear how many employees were affected.
In the 'stronghold' supporting Mr. Trump, voices of discontent have been heard.
VOA was founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda. VOA Director Mike Abramowitz said he and almost all of the station's 1,300 employees have been placed on paid leave, according to the BBC.
According to Politico , citing a VOA journalist, some staff members received the email while they were on their way to the studio to prepare for the March 15 morning show. Many journalists had to scramble to find ways to fill airtime, by re-airing old shows or simply playing music.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-trump-giai-the-voa-voi-hon-1300-nhan-su-185250317092515347.htm
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