By Ghazali Ibrahim 
In a shocking move, the Trump administration has begun mass layoffs at Voice of America (VOA) and other US-funded media outlets, sparking widespread outrage and concerns about the impact on US influence and press freedom.
On Sunday, contractors at VOA received an email notifying them that they were terminated effective March 31. The email instructed them to “cease all work immediately” and barred them from accessing agency buildings or systems.
The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and other outlets.
The agency had requested $950 million for the current fiscal year, but the administration has frozen its funding.
VOA, created during World War II, broadcasts in 49 languages and has a mission to reach countries without media freedom.
The outlet has a long history of providing independent and unbiased reporting, but the Trump administration has accused it of promoting “radical propaganda.”
The layoffs and cuts have sparked outrage among journalists, lawmakers, and human rights advocates, who warn that the move will undermine US influence and press freedom around the world.
According to Vanguard Newspaper, Liam Scott, a VOA reporter who covers press freedom and disinformation, was among those terminated.
He described the Trump administration’s actions as “part of its efforts to dismantle the government more broadly — but it’s also part of the administration’s broader assault on press freedom and the media.”
The move has also been criticized by China’s state-run Global Times, which described the Trump administration’s actions as a “laughingstock of the times.”
The layoffs and cuts are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reduce the size of government and make way for tax cuts.
The administration has already ended foreign development assistance and moved to eviscerate the Education Department.
The move has sparked concerns about the impact on US influence and press freedom around the world. As China and Russia invest heavily in state media to compete with Western narratives, the US is seen as retreating from the global information space.
