Cuts made by Trump to VOA may allow more room for anti-American propaganda, relatively speaking, says its director. Cuts made by Trump to VOA may allow more room for anti-American propaganda, relatively speaking, says its director. VOICE OF AMERICA LESS TRUMP. Cuts made by Trump to VOA may allow more room for anti-American propaganda, relatively speaking, says its director. The director of Voice of America “VOA cuts made by Trump to VOA may give more room for anti-American propaganda”. It follows worrying
According to Amanda Bennett, who was in charge of the VOA from 2016 to 2020, the restructuring initiatives during the Trump presidency effectively destroyed the mission of the broadcaster. She contended that changes in leadership, budget cuts, and interference in its journalism all served to undermine VOA’s credibility and influence in a way that could be filled by hostile foreign governments.
“The VOA has never had a greater countering function against disinformation and reporting fact-based journalism,” Bennett says in a recent interview with CNN Business. “If you weaken an institution like the VOA, you offer those negative stories the oxygen to breathe.”
Michael Pack, the Trump appointee in charge of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), introduced radical transformations culminating in the firing of senior journalists, alterations in editorial policy, and accusations of political interference. Pack asserts that his changes aimed to remove bias and make the Voice of America (VOA) true to its role of presenting American values. However, critics, including lawmakers from both parties, maintained that he politicized the broadcaster. Founded during World War II, VOA has always remained an independent news outlet in repressive regimes where freedom of the press has been circumscribed, with its coverage extending to an approximate 300 million persons worldwide in over 40 languages. The entity prides itself on editorial independence, though the exertions of Trump have raised eyebrows on the issue of government interference.
Bennett alleged that, in the last few years, hostile nations such as China, Russia, and Iran have greatly strengthened their government-run media in the United States, disseminating propaganda to denounce U.S. influence. According to her, the weakened VOA has made it easier for these nations to spread disinformation.
“There is global information warfare out there,” she said. “If we do not fund serious independent journalism, we are inviting those who wish to manipulate the truth to the field.”
Since Trump, the Biden team has tried to regain some credibility for VOA by partly reversing some policy changes and bolstering editorial independence. Yet, some observers say the damage done during the Trump presidency will take years to repair.
As tension mounts in many parts of the world, the future of VOA remains one of the foremost matters in U.S. soft power and global advocacy discourse.
