THE TELEGRAPH: Staff are blocked from accessing Voice of America offices
All full-time staff at the US’s biggest international broadcaster have been placed on leave after Donald Trump ordered the government-funded agency to be scaled back for being “radical” and “anti-Trump”.
The 1,300 Voice of America (VOA) employees were informed of the decision via email on Saturday, US media reported.
Staff have been blocked from accessing the broadcaster’s offices in Washington, DC, meaning freelancers and stringers worldwide have had to stop working as there is now no way to pay them, an insider told CBS News.
Michael Abramowitz, Voice of America’s director, said nearly his entire staff of journalists, producers and assistants had been suspended, crippling the broadcaster that operates in almost 50 languages.
“I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced,” Mr Abramowitz said on LinkedIn, adding that the broadcaster has played an important role “in the fight for freedom and democracy around the world”. » | Cameron Henderson | Sunday, March 16, 2025
Clearly, the re-election of Trump has ushered in a ‘New Dark Age’. Enlightenment is quickly turning into benightedness. – © Mark Alexander
