In a recent move by the Trump administration, 639 employees at Voice of America and its parent organization have been terminated, marking a significant reduction in the international broadcasting service. This latest round of cuts follows the elimination of 1,400 positions since March, effectively dismantling an organization established in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda. With just 250 employees remaining within the entire parent group, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the agency’s capacity to project democratic values globally has been severely diminished.

The decision to terminate employees was justified by Kari Lake, Trump’s senior advisor to USAGM, citing decades of dysfunction, bias, and waste within the agency. Formerly reaching 360 million people weekly across various languages, Voice of America has been criticized by the White House as “propaganda” and “leftist.” This shift represents a significant departure from America’s Cold War strategy of using broadcasting to reach audiences behind the iron curtain, impacting populations living under authoritarian rule who relied on VOA for independent news and an American perspective.

The layoffs came shortly after VOA recalled Farsi-speaking journalists to cover the conflict between Israel and Iran, further emphasizing the impact of the cuts on independent journalism. Trump’s executive order targeting federal agencies deemed as bloated bureaucracy initiated the agency’s folding, with plans to replace VOA’s professional journalism with content from a right-wing network. Despite legal challenges, the administration has proceeded with the terminations, part of a broader assault on the federal workforce. The termination of VOA employees marks a significant shift away from decades of independent journalism that upheld US ideals of democracy and freedom worldwide.