Voice of America, the U.S.-funded international news broadcaster, is facing a wave of terminations as nearly 600 employees have been let go by its parent agency.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) issued notices Thursday to hundreds of contractors, citing termination “for convenience,” effective May 30, reports Politico.
The move affects a broad range of non-permanent personnel, including editors, journalists, and visual designers -- with over 50 of them holding J-1 visas that now place them at risk of deportation, the report adds.
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According to internal communications, affected international staff may be forced to leave the country within 30 days, many fearing persecution if returned home.
The terminations follow a directive from USAGM under the leadership of Kari Lake, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and has since clashed with VOA staff over editorial direction and independence, POLITICO adds.
Michael Abramowitz, VOA’s Director, expressed deep concern in a note to employees, stating that no clear explanation had been given for the dismissals.
He emphasized VOA’s commitment to supporting affected staff, particularly those from hostile regimes.
The terminations come on the heels of a federal court decision reversing protections that had temporarily blocked the administration’s broader efforts to overhaul USAGM.
The Trump administration’s stance is that VOA exhibits anti-Trump bias -- a sentiment echoed in recent statements and an executive order that fast-tracked restructuring efforts across several agencies.
Roughly two dozen senior-level employees from VOA’s English-language and select foreign-language departments have resumed in-person duties. Critics see this as a strategy to maintain minimum statutory presence as legal battles unfold. Plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit -- including White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara -- vow to continue fighting what they describe as political interference in independent journalism.
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