➤ On March 14, President Donald Trump ordered the US government to stop nearly all of the work being done by Voice of America and other government news organizations. The move, which has put thousands of people out of work, is a huge change for the US.
On March 14, US President Donald Trump ordered the US government to stop nearly all of the work being done by Voice of America (VOA) and other government news organizations. The move, which has put thousands of people out of work, is a huge change for the US.
VOA is part of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). USAGM also runs several other US government news groups, including Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia.
The US created VOA during World War II to fight back against false information being spread by Germany and Japan. VOA was meant to help people around the world understand the US and its views, and to encourage people in other countries to work for freedom and democracy.
The US government has long supported these news organizations, and their efforts to share news in areas where foreign governments keep tight control over information. VOA and the other networks have helped to fight against misleading information from other countries, such as Russia and China.
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The US government has long supported VOA and other government news groups. On March 14, Mr. Trump ordered that these services be cut as much as possible. The next day, the current leader of VOA, Michael Abramowitz, reported that almost all of VOA’s 1,300 workers had been put on leave.
On March 14, Mr. Trump ordered that these services be cut as much as possible.
The next day, the current leader of VOA, Michael Abramowitz, reported that almost all of VOA’s 1,300 workers had been put on leave. Mr. Abramowitz was also put on leave. “For the first time in 83 years,” said Mr. Abramowitz, “the…Voice of America is being silenced.”
VOA workers who showed up to work found themselves locked out of the building. Some VOA stations played music instead of the programs that are regularly run. The “top stories” on the VOA News website date from the middle of March.
The loss of VOA and other networks will be felt around the world. VOA offered news reporting through radio shows, TV shows, and several different websites. VOA content – in 49 different languages – reached 427 million people in around 100 countries worldwide.
Mr. Trump has long been upset with VOA. He claims that VOA is not fair. But Mr. Trump also has similar complaints about most media. VOA is meant to be independent of the US government so that it can report on the US more fairly.
Mr. Trump has named Republican politician Kari Lake as a “special adviser” to USAGM. Ms. Lake and Mr. Trump say the cuts are aimed at saving money.
A group of VOA reporters have gone to court to stop the closing of VOA. Mr. Abramowitz has also sued. On March 28, a judge ordered the closing of VOA to be paused for 21 days so the courts can consider the case.
Note: NewsForKids.net has used VOA as a source of information for articles and images in the past.