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What is Voice of America? History, role, and Donald Trump’s order to cut staff — Explained
VOA was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda at the height of the second world war.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the downsizing of the staff at the Agency For Global Media, the organisation funded by the federal government to run the likes of Voice of America and other such broadcasters.
According to the USAGM director Michael Abramowitz, the entire Voice of America staff has been put on administrative leave.
VOA is considered to be an arm of US diplomacy around the world, broadcasting the country's domestic news to foreign nations to give them accurate information about the United States amid propaganda against it from its adversaries.
“For the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced. VOA promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America's story and by providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny," Abramowitz said in a statement.
Also read: Donald Trump orders major staff cuts at Voice of America, US-funded media
What is Voice of America, and what is its role?
Voice of America is a state-funded media network, that produces television, radio, and digital news content for international audiences. It was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda at the height of the second world war.
VOA now reaches 360 million people a week. As a group, USAGM employs roughly 3,500 workers with an $886-million budget in 2024, according to its latest report to Congress.
The then-US President Franklin Roosevelt established the US Foreign Information Service (FIS) just before the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941, naming playwright Robert Sherwood as its first director. FIS beamed its first direct broadcast to Europe in February 1942, promising to bring the truth, both good and bad as the ‘voice of America’.
The broadcasts continued throughout the war, trying to counter the Nazi propaganda all the way till 1945. After the war, the organisation fell into the doldrums, barely finding support in Congress. However, the escalation of the Cold War with the Soviet Union brought it back to the forefront as an instrument of foreign policy for the US.
The outbreak of the Korean War led to the addition of new language services in VOA and a general expansion. In 1953, it was separated from the State Department into a newly formed United States Information Agency. It also moved its headquarters from New York to Washington DC.
The principles governing Voice of America
Three principles that govern the functioning of Voice of America are enshrined in the VOA Charter, endorsed in 1960. According to the VOA website, the Charter said in part that:
- VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.
- VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will, therefore, present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.
- VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussions and opinions on these policies.
With the Voice of America’s future in the doldrums again, foreign policy and media experts have warned that downsizing it might hurt the US’s interests.
