Miami (March 17) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) rejects the decision by the White House to order deep cuts at Voice of America (VOA), Radio Martí, and other media outlets managed by the United States government.
Miami (March 17) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) rejects the decision by the White House to order deep cuts at Voice of America (VOA), Radio Martí, and other media outlets managed by the United States government.
President Donald Trump, through an executive order issued Friday night, ordered the drastic reduction of staff at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the elimination of funding for media that have been a fundamental pillar in the dissemination of news and information to audiences in countries with authoritarian regimes for over 80 years.
USAGM includes Voice of America; Radio Free Europe, targeting Central and Eastern Europe; Radio Free Asia, focusing on East Asia; and Martí Noticias, which broadcasts news in Spanish to Cuba.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the media system reaches over 420 million people worldwide.
By Saturday morning, Voice of America staff had been placed on administrative leave, according to an email that leaked to the press, and grants to Radio Free Asia and other government-backed media were cut, according to reports.
Michael Abramowitz, director of the organization, lamented that "for the first time in 83 years, the historic Voice of America is being silenced," as stated in a statement. "VOA promotes freedom and democracy worldwide by telling the story of the United States and providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny," Abramowitz said.
José Roberto Dutriz, president of IAPA, stated that "the decision not only affects the journalists of these media but also millions of citizens who depend on these services to access important information that their governments want to hide," said Dutriz, CEO and general director of La Prensa Gráfica, from El Salvador.
Carlos Jornet, second vice president of IAPA and president of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, added: "It is alarming to see how a consolidated democracy like that of the United States decides to restrict an agency that provides independent and pluralistic information in countries with autocratic regimes. We urge the authorities to review these decisions that undermine transparency and the right to information," added the director of La Voz del Interior, from Argentina.
This decision adds to a series of actions taken by the Trump administration to the detriment of the press, including restrictions on journalists from the AP agency covering events at the White House, in retaliation for legitimate editorial decisions. In a statement, the IAPA condemned the decision, stating that it represents an act of censorship and intimidation that violates the freedom of the press enshrined in the United States Constitution.
In addition, the senior advisor to the government for USAGM, Kari Lake, proposed canceling contracts between that agency and the AP, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.