STATEMENT

PMA warns gutting of USAGM puts journalism and news availability in peril

17 March 2025
The Public Media Alliance is deeply concerned about the severe implications of the executive order to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a move that not only threatens journalist safety and press freedom, but also the availability of independent news and information for millions around the world.
VOA Voice of America
KOSOVO September 09. 2018: The VOA microphone in woman's hand, interview. Credit: Nada Bascarevic/iStock

On 14 March, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the USAGM, an independent federal agency overseeing publicly funded international media networks.  

USAGM operates six entities, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and the Open Technology Fund, which have long played a crucial role in providing editorially independent news in 64 languages to audiences in countries with limited press freedom. A statement on USAGM’s website following the executive order claimed the agency is “irretrievably broken” and “not salvageable”, despite USAGM’s record global weekly audience of 427 million in 2024, and its critical contributions to press freedom and freedom of expression. 

In the case of VOA, 1,300 employees have been put on administrative leave while contracts for RFA, RFE/RL and other USAGM agencies have been terminated. The agency’s dismantling also has serious implications for journalist safety, both for those employed by its entities and for independent journalists who rely on its reporting and support. For instance, journalists employed by USAGM-funded networks such as VOA and RFE/RL face constant threats, and the loss of institutional backing could leave them vulnerable to state retaliation. Meanwhile, the Open Technology Fund has long provided essential digital security tools and emergency support for many journalists under threat. Its shuttering would leave reporters working in high-risk environments without critical safeguards against surveillance and repression.  

PMA is also concerned that the gutting of USAGM could set a precedent for other governments that fund independent international public media. 

“Independent journalism is essential for democracy, and the dissolution of USAGM is an immediate threat to the availability of credible, publicly funded news at a time when global misinformation and disinformation is rampant. This decision falls into the hands of autocrats, and history shows that where trusted and credible news services are removed, they leave vacuums in which falsehoods and propaganda thrive.”

– Kristian Porter, CEO of the Public Media Alliance

The Public Media Alliance urges the US Congress to act swiftly to prevent the dismantling of USAGM and to uphold the principles of press freedom, editorial independence, transparency, and democracy. The world cannot afford to lose these vital sources of independent journalism.

What others have said:
Related Posts