The significance of Donald Trump's funding cuts to Voice of America and Radio Free Asia

In an executive order issued on Saturday, March 15, US President Donald Trump ordered large funding cuts for a number of government departments, citing his purported objective of increasing bureaucracy efficiency. With implications for the US's relations with the rest of the world, the subsequent dismantling of two publicly financed media organizations, Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), represents a significant departure from decades of US policy.

It has also attracted a positive response in China, a country which both organisations extensively covered. Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, has stated that their "poor reporting records on China are not a secret." In an editorial, the state-run media outlet Global Times also stated: "VOA, the supposed bulwark of freedom, has now been abandoned.

What are Voice of America and Radio Free Asia?

In the past, RFA and VOA have been essential for informing the world about US policies and opinions and for delivering news in countries without free presses, respectively.

VOA was established in 1942 to promote American viewpoints and counter Nazi propaganda during World War II (1939–45). With news in about 50 languages and an estimated weekly viewership of 354 million, it is currently the largest international broadcaster in the United States, according to its website. It is also distributed via satellite, cable, FM, and MW and broadcast on a network of more than 3,500 affiliate stations with several bureaus worldwide.

In 1996, RFA began offering Mandarin services. Its sister station, Radio Free Europe (RFE), began airing radio programs in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania in 1950. Radio was a powerful tool for spreading American opinions in countries where Soviet and Communist influences were prevalent. Up until the 1970s, the CIA was involved in funding it.

RFA currently supports the following languages: Tibetan, Korean, Burmese, Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, Cantonese, and Uyghur. In many countries where the media is restricted and the government is autocratic, RFA broadcasts are considered essential sources of local news. Approximately 60 million people listen to it, and many of them circumvent government restrictions.

VOA and RFA are part of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a federal agency responsible for all non-military US international broadcasting. It was funded by the U.S. Congress and included in Trump's order along with a few other agencies. According to their websites, VOA and RFA have annual budgets of $267.5 million and $63 million, respectively.

Why did Trump order the termination of RFA and VOA?

In a White House official article titled "The Voice of Radical America," the Trump administration asserted that the order would "guarantee that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda."

What is the significance of Trump's action?

The two organizations have helped the United States increase the global impact of its policies and values by employing soft power. Because there were reporters and bureaus all over the world, the US had direct access to information about global events and political trends at the same time.

For example, RFA provides a comprehensive Chinese-language service and frequently reports on human rights issues, including the incarceration of activists and the repression of ethnic groups in Tibet and Xinjiang. Furthermore, stories that aren't covered by Chinese media are regularly featured on VOA's Chinese website. The Communist Party-backed Chinese media does not provide critical coverage of the government.