The Trump administration has abruptly suspended journalists working at US-funded broadcasters, including Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia, in a move widely seen as a blow to America’s global media influence.

Hundreds of reporters and other staff at outlets such as VOA, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe received an email over the weekend, informing them that they would no longer be allowed access to their offices. The directive also required them to surrender their press passes, office-issued telephones, and other equipment.

The decision follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on Friday, which listed the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) as among "elements of the federal bureaucracy that the president has determined are unnecessary."

Kari Lake, a staunch Trump ally and former Arizona news anchor who was appointed head of USAGM after an unsuccessful Senate bid, stated in an internal email that federal grant money "no longer effectuates agency priorities."

Meanwhile, White House press official Harrison Fields took to social media platform X to post a brief farewell message, writing "goodbye" in 20 languages—a move seen as a direct jibe at VOA’s multilingual programming.

Criticism over media shutdown

The decision to defund and dismantle these broadcasters has sparked criticism from journalists and foreign policy experts. The president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Stephen Capus, termed the move "a massive gift to America’s enemies," highlighting that the organisation had played a crucial role in countering misinformation in regions lacking press freedom.

"The Iranian ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years," Capus said in a statement. "Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker."

Since the end of the Cold War, US-funded media outlets have largely shifted their focus from democratic transition in Central and Eastern Europe to countering disinformation from Russia and China. Radio Free Asia, launched in 1996, has focused on providing uncensored news in regions such as China, Myanmar, North Korea, and Vietnam, where independent journalism is often restricted.

Despite their funding from the US government, these media houses have maintained an editorial firewall to ensure journalistic independence—something that has frequently drawn criticism from Trump and his allies, who have previously accused them of not supporting his policies.

The abrupt decision to shutter these institutions has raised concerns about press freedom and the United States’ soft power in global media. Observers believe the move could create a vacuum that adversarial states may seek to fill.