Trumps Cuts to U.S.-Funded Media Endanger Journalists Worldwide – Reporters Without Borders

The recent actions by President Donald Trump to dismantle U.S.-funded international media entities like Voice of America could endanger their journalists, including nine who are currently imprisoned globally, according to a warning issued by Reporters Without Borders on Monday.

The Trump administration initiated extensive layoffs at Voice of America and other U.S.-backed media outlets on Sunday, just two days after Trump enacted an executive order that weakened the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VOA’s parent organization, as part of his extensive budget cuts.

«Reporters Without Borders is raising concerns regarding the threats faced by USAGM personnel around the globe, which includes the nine journalists currently detained in various countries for their reporting,» stated the organization dedicated to press freedom.

The director general of RSF, Thibaut Bruttin, mentioned in a statement that the decision «betrays» the nine USAGM journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, and Vietnam, and «leaves thousands more without jobs and at risk» due to their journalistic efforts.

USAGM oversees various media services, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, established by the U.S. during the Cold War to counter Soviet narratives, and Radio Free Asia, which was founded to provide news coverage for China, North Korea, and other nations with severely restricted press freedoms.

Public media organizations in Europe also expressed their concerns regarding Trump’s funding cuts.

«This action threatens to deny millions of people around the globe access to a crucial source of impartial and verified information — particularly in nations where independent journalism is limited or absent,» remarked representatives from France Medias Monde and Germany’s Deutsche Welle in a joint statement.

«This decision is especially troubling considering the United States’ historical role as a proponent of press freedom.»