Voice of America reports highest layoffs. MHM NEWS

Voice of America reports highest layoffs

Transcript

00:00Welcome to World News, Global Headlines.

00:03If you find this update informative, don't forget to like the video and subscribe for

00:08more news in your language.

00:10Today's top story, the Trump administration has announced the layoff of 639 employees

00:16from the International Broadcaster Voice of America, VOA, and its parent organization,

00:22the U.S. Agency for Global Media, UZAM.

00:25According to The Guardian, the cuts are part of a broader cost-cutting effort.

00:30Since March, nearly 1,400 staff members have been let go from the organization.

00:36Radio VOA was originally founded in 1942, during World War II, to counter Nazi propaganda.

00:43Its mission, bringing your voice from America.

00:47Over the years, it has broadcast in dozens of languages, reaching over 360 million people

00:53per week, as per 2019 congressional records.

00:57After this round of layoffs, only around 250 employees will remain at the agency.

01:03Senior Trump advisor Carrie Lake said on Friday that American taxpayers have been forced to

01:08fund an ineffective agency for decades.

01:12It's time to end that.

01:13Loudspeaker the Trump administration has previously accused VOA of being biased and labeled it

01:19as the voice of radical America.

01:21According to a White House statement from March, during the Cold War, VOA was considered a strategic

01:28tool to reach global audiences.

01:31The current layoffs, The Guardian notes, may symbolize a shift away from that historic strategy.

01:37Interestingly, just a day before the announcement, Persian-language VOA journalists were reportedly

01:42asked to cover the Israel-Iran conflict, raising further questions about the timing.

01:47Now, a legal battle is expected.

01:51Journalists Patsy Wittekusra, Jessica Jarriott, and Kate Kniffer have announced plans to challenge

01:56the decision in court in their joint statement.

02:00They said,

02:00This move threatens the legacy of 83 years of independent journalism and undermines America's

02:07commitment to global democracy.

02:10Television, that's it for today's report on global media and press freedom.

02:14Bell stay tuned, subscribe, and join us again for more updates on world news.