Kari Lake Implements Trump's Directive: Major Cuts to Voice of America Staff

After enduring three months of legal conflicts and aggressive lobbying, the Voice of America (VOA) network has officially been diminished to a mere fraction of its pre-Trump stature. On Friday, significant layoffs occurred at VOA and its overseeing body, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which has represented American interests in global broadcasting for decades. The recent action follows USAGM's dismissal of over 500 contractors last month, marking a decline of 83 years of independent journalism that champions US values of liberty and democracy, according to three VOA journalists who previously litigated to halt these terminations. President Trump, long critical of VOA, celebrates the firings as a political triumph. Notably, Trump’s mandate in March sought to drastically reduce USAGM, branding US-funded broadcasting as biased and outdated. While advocates emphasize the necessity of these networks in combating disinformation, they express concern that their absence allows Russian and Chinese propaganda to proliferate.