Trump encourages international propaganda agencies

The Trump administration has made another good move for reasons that are probably not entirely noble.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, including the US Global Media Agency (USAGM), the US International Propaganda Network, the US International Propaganda Network, the Cuban Broadcasting Station, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia.

Trump's executive order requires the USAGM to be “reduced to the minimum presence and function required by law. This approach, which does not eliminate organizations almost entirely, is another attempt to sabotage government agencies created through Congressional actions.

Agency director Michael Abramowitz said in a subsequent statement that “for the first time in 83 years, America's famous voice has been silent.” More than 1,300 journalists, producers and staff at VOA received an email informing them that they had taken administrative leave on Saturday. The report said the employee lost access to work and other communications programs. Several VOA radio frequencies in Asia, the Middle East and more have become darker.

Waste radical propaganda

A White House press release on the move explains the motivation behind Trump's actions.

First of all, it aims to exempt taxpayers from funding “Radical Propaganda.” VOA veteran journalist Dun Robinson is quoted as:

I, along with many reporters, monitored the bureaucracy of the institution and concluded that it was often hub-harshly cheating, reflecting left-wing biases that were essentially in line with partisan national media. They tried to avoid accountability for violations of journalistic standards and mismanagement.

Other reasons listed in the press release are:

VOA management told staff not to call Hamas members terrorists. VOA reporters posted anti-Trump content on their social media pages in violation of policies that prohibit political bias. The VOA misplaced funds and curbed negative news stories about Iran. The agency has published an article justifying the story of white privilege. And VOA is popular against American interests. The complaint is based on a lawsuit filed by the American Accountability Foundation, a political watchdog. They claim that the VOA ignored the 60 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements. This relates to an investigation into allegations that the agency is promoting “anti-American and pro-Islamist” reports.

In October 2020, VOA published an article that essentially downplayed the reliability of Hunter Biden laptops. VoA also fired a reporter for interviewing Chinese opposition groups who criticized the Chinese government. In 2019, VOA also published a segment designed to generate sympathy for transgender illegals seeking asylum in the United States.

Lake Kari reveals “a huge waste of money”

Kari Lake, senior Trump advisor at USAGM, posted a video on her X account on the day of the announcement, focusing on the organization's waste. “I'm terrified of some of the things I'm learning about this agency,” she said. She later said the Joe Biden administration signed a $250 million lease on the gorgeous Washington, D.C. skyscraper used by USAGM. “This building is a huge waste of money,” Lake said, showing a wealth of images of wall-to-wall windowed meeting rooms, huge waterfalls throughout the building, Italian marble floors and leather furniture. The kicker Lake added is that USAGM already has a building.

Lake mentioned another info to infuriate anyone who saw her video after suffering from paying $5 for a dozen eggs. Before leaving, the Biden administration changed its USAGM contract, making it difficult for incoming administrations to track the money. She said:

We were looking at the grants where they received the grant and they changed their contract a few days before we entered here. It was a clear and obvious indication that they wanted us to not find anything we could come in and change and improve for American taxpayers.

This action almost certainly presents legal challenges for the Trump administration. David Z. Seide is a lawyer for the Government Accountability Project and represents the voice of American journalists. According to the New York Times:

Sade said he is considering legal challenges aimed at reviving the voices of American journalists. The American Foreign Office Association, which includes ranks that include employees of Voice of America, said it would “prove intense defenses” of those employees.

Reaction from left, right

The response to the decrease in VOA was predicted.

Of course, on the left, VOA was a valuable presenter of “a balanced and comprehensive” American portrait.” According to the times, it served as a “reliable source of news” around the world. The reporter probably said this with a straight face.

Others believe this latest move is another effort by the Trump administration to undermine the news media. For example, the Associated Press is a reporter with no borders.

The decision calls for the US's departure from its historical role as a free information advocate, as well as the US government to restore the VOA, and calls on Congress and the international community to take action against this unprecedented move.

“We are pleased to announce that Mike Balsamo's National Press Club president:

For decades, Voice of America has provided fact-based journalism to millions. Now, after the parent's agency is destroyed, the journalist is on the sidelines.

Stephen Capus, president and CEO of Radio Free Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said in a statement that his network's “grant agreements will be a massive gift to the adversaries of America.”

Others had a less favorable view of VOA, and one of the declines was more advantageous.

Xi Van Fleet, a well-versed tyranny, spoke on his X account how VOA has changed over time.

Under Mao Zedong, hearing the Voice of America (VOA) was a crime punishable by death. But many people still risked taking over their lives in search of real information from America. It's a land of freedom. When the ban was finally lifted, VOA became an important part of my university life. But for decades, VOA, like all other American institutions, has penetrated deeply with American Marxists and transformed it into a propaganda machine against America. This shift is particularly pronounced in Mandarin Services, which has become a tool for the Chinese Communist Party.

Social media influencer Ian Miles Cheong praised the move and tweeted on Saturday:

Today, the journalist who appeared in the voices of America and broadcasted the programme realized that he had been locked up and was given a notice of termination. Additionally, all contractors and international broadcasters funded by the organization have cut contracts indefinitely. …Well done, Doge!

And the American Media Council posted to X:

If American taxes fund global news organizations, they should report the truth. Instead, we've seen outlets like Voice of America abuse funds to spread fake news that contradict both American policy and truth. The day of calculation is here for VOA, and mainstream media is losing their hearts towards it.

Do taxpayers need to fund propaganda?

This response raises the question: Should American taxpayers fund propaganda, “good” or bad?

Voice of America began airing in 1942. This was part of the US government's efforts to neutralize Nazi propaganda around the world. During the Cold War, the radio broadcasts behind Iron Curtains were part of the US government's campaign to counter communism.

Those who approve of thwarting these institutions, including the White House administration, appear to do so because VOA lost track of its mission to broadcast propaganda for Americans and democracy.

But why should American taxpayers pay for propaganda? The US Constitution has zero provisions that allow for the production of international (or domestic) propaganda. For some, legal justification comes from a comprehensive, thorough, general welfare clause that appears to cover many of the programs and policies that the founding fathers lie in their graves.

Perhaps Conor O'Keefe of the Mises Institute said it best:

The American voice should definitely disappear. VOA employees and supporters want to describe the outlet's purpose as providing “objective” and “balanced” reports on current events. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll see that what VOA staff are really passionate about overseas is promoting democracy and supporting the global battle against authoritarianism. …This is a propaganda outlet that we all have been forced to fund. This is part of a broader regime change device that was exposed a lot at the beginning of the year with the gush of USAID. Funding foreign propaganda campaigns is not our responsibility. Your average American family has no moral obligation to send a portion of their pay to try to change the people of Belarus against the government.