Trumps Cuts to U.S.-Funded Media: A Dangerous Gamble for Journalists Worldwide

The recent dismantling of U.S.-funded international media entities like Voice of America by President Donald Trump poses a potential threat to their journalists—nine of whom are currently imprisoned globally, according to a warning from Reporters Without Borders issued on Monday.

The Trump administration initiated widespread layoffs at Voice of America and other federally funded media outlets on Sunday, just two days after Trump signed an executive order severely cutting funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, as part of a broader series of budget reductions.

«Reporters Without Borders is raising alarms regarding the dangers faced by USAGM personnel worldwide, including nine journalists now incarcerated abroad due to their reporting,» the organization focused on press freedom stated.

RSF’s director general, Thibaut Bruttin, remarked that the administration’s actions send a disturbing message: authoritarian governments like those in Beijing and Moscow can now freely disseminate their propaganda without opposition.

Bruttin expressed that this decision «betrays» the nine USAGM journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, and Vietnam, and «leaves thousands more unemployed and at risk» because of their journalistic endeavors.

USAGM manages media outlets like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which was established by the U.S. during the Cold War to combat Soviet propaganda, as well as Radio Free Asia, which aims to report on issues in China, North Korea, and other nations where press freedom is heavily curtailed.

European public media partners have also expressed concern regarding Trump’s funding cuts.

«This decision endangers millions of individuals worldwide by denying them access to essential, credible information—especially in areas where independent journalism is rare or absent,» France Medias Monde and Germany’s Deutsche Welle stated.

«This action is particularly troubling in light of the United States’ historic commitment to advocating for press freedom.»