Trump’s shutdown of Voice of America and Radio Free Asia

Link to the program recording here.

In what has already been dubbed “Bloody Saturday”, the Trump administration ordered the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to cut off funds to the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and other US-supported media on March 15.

VOA immediately placed on indefinite leave over 1,300 journalists and staff and ceased broadcasting for the first time in its 83-year history. RFA, which receives a separate congressional appropriation, had to furlough at least 75% of its journalists and staff since its funds are disbursed through the AGM, which has refused to make transfers to continue operations.

Along with other broadcasters focused on Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Cuba, the shuttered media reached more than 420 million people in 63 languages and over 100 countries each week.

There will be a huge negative impact on regional coverage in mainland Southeast Asia. RFA reporters cover in their own languages and in English many of Thailand’s neighbors, including Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and China.

Not surprisingly, authoritarians across Asia and the world are cheering the shutdowns. China’s state media called VOA “a dirty rag” and its foreign ministry described it as a “lie factory”. Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen cheered the cut of RFA, calling it “fake news”.

The US National Press Club, meanwhile, said the actions "undermine America's long-standing commitment to a free and independent press". Issues of media freedom, coverage of hard-to-reach stories, US government funding and editorial independence all swirl in the debate about the cuts.

VOA journalists and the leadership of RFA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have all filed lawsuits against the US government and USAGM to reverse these actions and keep the broadcasters open, but it is still early days in the courts.  

What will this all mean for the media landscape in Asia and across the world, and for the wider cause of media freedom?

Panelists include:

Steve Herman, chief national correspondent, Voice of America, and board member, US National Press Club.

Tommy Walker, FCCT board member, and Bangkok-based reporter for VOA.

Rohit Mahajan, chief communications officer, Radio Free Asia.

Antoine Bernard, director of advocacy and assistance, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF).

Moderator: Phil Robertson, FCCT board member.