On March 14, 2025, President Trump ordered the dissolution of federally funded media outlets overseen by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), including Radio Free Asia (RFA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Voice of America (VOA).
The genesis of these media channels was rooted in the promotion of global peace and stability, prioritizing truth while simultaneously reinforcing the United States’ role as the world’s leading democracy.
Voice of America was founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda and disinformation. Since its inception, it has broadcast in 49 languages to an audience of over 351 million people worldwide. It holds the largest viewership among all American international media channels, highlighting its necessity and indispensable nature.
In 1950, under President Truman’s administration, RFE/RL was established under the same principles as VOA. Its objective was to combat communist censorship and propaganda in Eastern Europe. Despite numerous attempts by communist regimes to block the free flow of information—through radio jamming or violent suppression, including the assassination of journalists—its commitment to providing factual reporting never wavered.
Today, VOA, RFA and RFE disseminate global news to the world’s most restricted and isolated countries, such as Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Myanmar, Belarus and Russia. Since the executive order issued in early March, there has been international outcry, as the decision to bolster government efficiency comes at the cost of global democracies and freedom.
The impact of these agencies is far-reaching, affecting both the personal and national spheres. In 2011, Poland held a conference celebrating the role of RFE in ensuring the country’s path to democracy and freedom and the integral importance of free media and objective news in creating a pathway for democracy.
Following the cataclysmic 7.7-magnitude earthquake in early April, and amid ongoing humanitarian abuses committed by the military junta, the role of RFA and VOA in Burma is crucial. These outlets are not only sources of accurate news but lifelines for civilians. SaveVOA recently issued a statement underscoring the urgent need to restore VOA’s operations in Myanmar, as it remains the country’s only trusted media source and the sole counter to the junta’s misinformation and disinformation.
The aftermath of the earthquake, from destroyed power lines and widespread panic to limited access to accurate information, can only be addressed through the resumption of VOA Burmese broadcasts. Beyond delivering reliable reporting, VOA and RFA have long served as platforms for pro-democracy lawmakers and activists while amplifying the work of local freelance journalists.
The direct correlation between democracy and improved quality of life is closely tied to access to free media, and it is the responsibility of democracies to promote that access in authoritarian and restricted countries.
American adversaries’ response to Trump’s executive order has been nothing short of elation and celebration. China’s Global Times described the order as VOA being “discarded by its own government like a dirty rag,” and accused the agency of being a lie factory for reporting on China’s ongoing human rights violations in the Xinjiang region and its persecution of ethnic minorities.
Cambodia’s authoritarian leader, Prime Minister Hun Sen—who shut down RFA’s operations in Phnom Penh in 2017—praised President Trump and labeled the independent media agencies as factories for fake news.
The Burmese military has also praised the decision, claiming that the edict is a step closer to Myanmar’s national unity, despite the junta’s ongoing scorched-earth tactics against its own civilians and the systematic purging of its ethnic and religious minorities.
If these media agencies were completely eliminated, it would create an information vacuum that would immediately be filled by China and Russia. Shuttering these agencies threatens America’s interests abroad and its national security.
The abolishment of vital media sources is a direct concession to authoritarian regimes. The reduction of independent media agencies amplifies the influence of authoritarian regimes globally and abandons our American values of freedom, justice and democracy for all.
Edited by Sydney Emerson and Krithiga Narayanan