By The Moscow Times | Created at 2025-03-17 18:05:27 | Updated at 2025-03-18 02:15:43
8 hours ago
President Donald Trump's dismantling of U.S.-funded international media outlets such as Voice of America could put their journalists at risk, including nine currently jailed worldwide, Reporters Without Borders warned Monday.
The Trump administration began mass layoffs Sunday at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media, two days after Trump signed an executive order gutting VOA's parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), in his latest sweeping spending cuts.
"Reporters Without Borders is sounding the alarm over the risks facing USAGM staffers around the world, including nine journalists currently imprisoned abroad for their work," the press freedom watchdog said.
"The Trump administration is sending a chilling signal: authoritarian regimes such as Beijing and Moscow now have free rein to spread their propaganda unchecked," RSF director general Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement.
He said the decision "betrays" the nine USAGM journalists jailed in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia and Vietnam and "leaves thousands more jobless and in danger" because of their work.
USAGM oversees media including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, set up by Washington during the Cold War to counter Soviet propaganda, and Radio Free Asia, created to provide reporting to China, North Korea and other countries with heavily restricted press.
Partner public media organizations in Europe also voiced alarm over Trump's funding freeze.
"This move threatens to deprive millions of people worldwide of a vital source of balanced and verified information — especially in countries where independent journalism is scarce or nonexistent," said France Medias Monde and Germany's Deutsche Welle in a statement.
"This action is particularly concerning given the United States' long-standing role as a champion of press freedom."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
