The Voice of America (VOA), which is funded by the federal government, directed its reporters on Friday to cease utilizing content from the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. This directive follows the government’s decision to end contracts with these newswire services.
These contract terminations come amid escalating tensions between the White House and traditional media outlets, a situation underscored by the recent revocation of AP’s access to specific areas of the White House, including the Oval Office, by the Trump administration.
Kari Lake, who was appointed by President Donald Trump as Special Adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media to oversee the VOA, announced the contract cancellations on Thursday. As reported by the AP, Lake projected that this decision would save taxpayers around $53 million. She expressed on X, “We should not be paying outside news organizations to tell us what the news is. With a nearly billion-dollar budget, we should be producing news ourselves. And if that’s not possible, the American taxpayer should demand to know why.”
Currently, Lake is serving as a special adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media while her nomination to lead the VOA is pending review. Prior to her involvement in Republican politics, she was a broadcast journalist in the Phoenix area. Most recently, she campaigned unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat in 2024 and for the governorship of Arizona in 2022. She has characterized the agency as fundamentally flawed and a financial burden to American taxpayers, stating, “From top to bottom, this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer—a national security concern.”Voice of America has long been misaligned with the sentiments of the American public. It has become a platform for Radical America, disseminating divisive propaganda over the years, a senior White House official stated to Fox News Digital.
On Friday, Trump enacted an executive order that mandates the dissolution of seven government offices, which includes the United States Agency for Global Media, the parent organization of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The executive order specifies, “The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.”
In a post on X following Trump’s directive, Lake noted, “The President has issued an Executive Order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. It impacts USAGM and its affiliates, VOA and OCB. Employees of the agency should check their email immediately for further details.” The seven agencies targeted by this order include: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; the U.S. Agency for Global Media; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars within the Smithsonian Institution; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency.
Voice of America has been criticized for its perceived bias, including accusations of “sanitizing” Hamas. In January, the outlet faced backlash for failing to provide essential context in an article, neglecting to mention that residents of Gaza celebrated as Hamas displayed coffins containing the remains of Israeli hostages, including children.
“It is crucial to clarify the facts: Hamas showcased the deceased bodies of innocent Israelis, including two children, in front of jubilant crowds. American taxpayers should not be funding the salaries of H…Shortly after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Voice of America (VOA) instructed its staff to refrain from labeling Hamas and its members as terrorists, except when using direct quotes, as reported by National Review at that time.
The government-funded media organization has been under scrutiny for its reporting practices over the years, including a 2020 piece titled “What Is ‘White Privilege’ and Whom Does It Help?” Furthermore, it faced criticism for a story and video that were likened to a Biden campaign advertisement in 2020, as well as for minimizing the significance of the Hunter Biden laptop issue, which surfaced during the closing weeks of the 2020 presidential election.
