Voice of America (VOA orVoA) is aninternational broadcaster funded by theUnited States government and established in 1942.[2][3][4] It is the largest and oldest of the USA's existing international broadcasters, producing digital, TV, and radio content in 48 languages for affiliate stations around the world.[5][6][7][8] Its targeted and primary audience is non-Americans outside the American borders, especially those living in countries withoutpress freedom or independent journalism.[9][10]
VOA was established in 1942, duringWorld War II. Building on American use ofshortwave radio during the war, it initially served as an anti-propaganda tool againstAxis misinformation but expanded to include other forms of content like American music programs forcultural diplomacy. During theCold War, its operations expanded in an effort to fight communism and played a role in the decline of communism in several countries. Throughout its operations, it has aimed to broadcast uncensored information to residents under restrictive regimes, even airing behind theIron Curtain. In response, some countries began investing in technology tojam VOA broadcasts. In 2017, Russia designated VOA aforeign agent, requiring it to establish a Russian legal entity. It was blocked in Russia along with some other western international broadcasters in 2022. Its programming can be accessed by Russian listeners usingVPNs and other software. Its journalists often take substantial risks reporting inside repressive regimes.[11]
It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and overseen by theU.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), anindependent agency of the U.S. government funded with Congressional approval, which also overseesRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.[12] Funds are appropriated annually under the budget for embassies and consulates. As of 2022, VOA had a weekly worldwide audience of approximately 326 million (up from 237 million in 2016) and employed 961 staff with an annual budget of $267.5 million.[1][13][14]
The VOA served its propaganda function by pursuing objective journalism, demonstrating that the US hasfree press andfree speech and providing a contrast for people living in countries where the state exerts tight control over the media. Policies have been implemented to try to preserve its accuracy and independence, including the 1976 VOA charter, which mandates its reporting be "accurate, objective, and comprehensive",[15][16] and the1994 U.S. International Broadcasting Act, which prohibits editorial interference by government officials. The agency refers to these laws as its "firewall".
Under thefirst Trump administration, leadership at the agency was replaced with Trump allies and there were several allegations, both internal and external, of interference in hiring and coverage to be loyal to Trump. Inhis second administration, Trump signed anexecutive order cutting funding to the USAGM. On March 14, 2025, almost all of VOA's 1,300 journalists, producers and assistants were placed on administrative leave.[17][18] The next day, many VOA foreign language broadcasts replaced news and other regularly scheduled programming with music and the VOA website ceased being updated.[19][20] On May 6, 2025,Kari Lake announced thatOne America News (OAN), afar-right, pro-Trump network known for promotingconspiracy theories, will provide news coverage for VOA.[21][22]
On June 20, 2025, layoff notices were sent to 639 VOA employees, completing an 85% reduction in staff at the U.S. Agency for Global Media since the beginning of Trump's second term, and effectively shutting down the service. Of the entire USAGM, 250 employees remain in staff, close to the statutory minimum, with approximately 200 of those at VOA.[23][24]
A licensee of an international broadcast station shall render only an international broadcast service which will reflect the culture of this country and which will promote international goodwill, understanding and cooperation. Any program solely intended for, and directed to an audience in the continental United States does not meet the requirements for this service.[30]
Even before the December 1941 Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government'sOffice of the Coordinator of Information (COI) had already begun providing war news and commentary to the commercial American shortwave radio stations for use on a voluntary basis, through its Foreign Information Service (FIS) headed by playwrightRobert E. Sherwood, who served as PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt's speech writer and information advisor.[32] Direct programming began a week after the United States' entry into World War II in December 1941, with the first broadcast from the San Francisco office of the FIS via General Electric's KGEI transmitting to the Philippines in English (other languages followed). The next step was to broadcast to Germany, which was calledStimmen aus Amerika ("Voices from America") and was transmitted on February 1, 1942. It was introduced by the “Battle Hymn of the Republic" and included the pledge: "Today, and every day from now on, we will be with you from America to talk about the war... The news may be good or bad for us – We will always tell you the truth."[33] Roosevelt approved this broadcast, which then-ColonelWilliam J. Donovan (COI) and Sherwood (FIS) had recommended to him. It was Sherwood who actually coined the term "The Voice of America" to describe the shortwave network that began its transmissions on February 1, from 270Madison Avenue in New York City.
By the end of the war, VOA had 39 transmitters and provided service in 40 languages.[35] Programming was broadcast from production centers in New York and San Francisco, with more than 1,000 programs originating from New York. Programming consisted of music, news, commentary, and relays of U.S. domestic programming, in addition to specialized VOA programming.[36] About half of VOA's services, including theArabic service, were discontinued in 1945.[37] In late 1945, VOA was transferred to the US Department of State.
The VOA ramped up its operations during theCold War.[42]Foy Kohler, the director of VOA from 1949 to 1952, strongly believed that the VOA was serving its purpose, which he identified as aiding in the fight against communism.[43] He argued that the numbers of listeners they were getting such as 194,000 regular listeners in Sweden, and 2.1 million regular listeners in France, was an indication of a positive impact. As further evidence, he noted that the VOA received 30,000 letters a month from listeners all over the world, and hundreds of thousands of requests for broadcasting schedules.[44] There was an analysis done of some of those letters sent in 1952 and 1953 while Kohler was still director. The study found that letter writing could be an indicator of successful, actionable persuasion. It was also found that broadcasts in different countries were having different effects. In one country, regular listeners adopted and practiced American values presented by the broadcast. Age was also a factor: younger and older audiences tended to like different types of programs, no matter the country.[45] Kohler used all of this as evidence to claim that the VOA helped to grow and strengthen the free world. It also influenced the UN in their decision to condemn communist actions in Korea, and was a major factor in the decline of communism in the "free world, including key countries such as Italy and France.[43] In Italy, the VOA contributed to the decline of communism and a process of "Westernization".[46] The VOA also had an impact behind theIron Curtain. Practically all defectors during Kohler's time said that the VOA helped in their decision to defect.[47] Another indication of impact, according to Kohler, was the Soviet response. Kohler argued that the Soviets responded because the VOA was having an impact. Based on Soviet responses, it can be presumed that the most effective programs were ones that compared the lives of those behind and outside the Iron Curtain, questions on the practice of slave labor, as well as lies and errors inStalin's version ofMarxism.[43]
In 1947, VOA started broadcasting to theSoviet citizens in Russia under the pretext of countering "more harmful instances ofSoviet propaganda directed against American leaders and policies" on the part of the internal Soviet Russian-language media, according to John B. Whitton's treatise,Cold War Propaganda.[48] The Soviet Union responded by initiating electronicjamming of VOA broadcasts on April 24, 1949.[48]
Charles W. Thayer headed VOA in 1948–49.[49] Over the next few years, the U.S. government debated the best role of Voice of America. The decision was made to use VOA broadcasts as part ofU.S. foreign policy to counter the propaganda of theSoviet Union and other countries. The Arabic service resumed on January 1, 1950, with a half-hour program. This program grew to 14.5 hours daily during theSuez Crisis of 1956, and was six hours a day by 1958.[37] Between 1952 and 1960, Voice of America used a convertedU.S. Coast Guard cutterCourier as a first mobilebroadcasting ship.[50]
Willis Conover broadcasting with Voice of America in 1969
Control of VOA passed from the State Department to theU.S. Information Agency when the latter was established in 1953[37] to transmit worldwide, including to the countries behind the Iron Curtain and to the People's Republic of China. From 1955 until 2003, VOA broadcast American jazz on theVoice of America Jazz Hour. Hosted for most of that period byWillis Conover, the program had 30 million listeners at its peak. A program aimed atSouth Africa in 1956 broadcast two hours nightly, and special programs such asTheNewport Jazz Festival were also transmitted. This was done in association with tours by U.S. musicians, such asDizzy Gillespie,Louis Armstrong, andDuke Ellington, sponsored by the State Department.[51] From August 1952 through May 1953, Billy Brown, a high school senior inWestchester County, New York, had a Monday night program in which he shared everyday happenings inYorktown Heights, New York. Brown's program ended due to its popularity: his "chatty narratives" attracted so much fan mail, VOA couldn't afford the $500 a month in clerical and postage costs required to respond to listeners' letters.[52] During 1953, VOA personnel were subjected toMcCarthyist policies, where VOA was accused by Senator Joseph McCarthy,Roy Cohn, andGerard David Schine of intentionally planning to build weak transmitting stations to sabotage VOA broadcasts. The charges were dropped after one month of court hearings in February and March 1953.[53]
Sometime around 1954, VOA's headquarters were moved from New York to Washington D.C. The arrival of cheap, low-cost transistors enabled the significant growth of shortwave radio listeners. During theHungarian Revolution of 1956, VOA's broadcasts were deemed controversial, as Hungarian refugees and revolutionaries thought that VOA served as a medium and insinuated the possible arrival of the Western aid.[54]
Throughout theCold War, many of the targeted countries' governments sponsoredjamming of VOA broadcasts, which sometimes led critics to question the broadcasts' actual impact. For example, in 1956,Polish People's Republic stopped jamming VOA transmissions,[55] butPeople's Republic of Bulgaria continued to jam the signal through the 1970s.Edward R. Murrow said that: "The Russians spend more money jamming the Voice of America than we have to spend for the entire program of the entire Agency. They spend about $125 million [$1.2 billion in 2024] a year jamming it."[56]Chinese-language VOA broadcasts were jammed beginning in 1956 and extending through 1976.[57] After the collapse of theWarsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, interviews with participants in anti-Soviet movements verified the effectiveness of VOA broadcasts in transmitting information to socialist societies.[58] The People's Republic of China diligently jams VOA broadcasts.[59]Cuba has also been reported to interfere with VOA satellite transmissions toIran from its Russian-built transmission site atBejucal.[60] David Jackson, former director of Voice of America, noted: "TheNorth Korean government doesn't jam us, but they try to keep people from listening through intimidation or worse. But people figure out ways to listen despite the odds. They're very resourceful."[61]
Buzz Aldrin on the moon, in a photograph taken byNeil Armstrong, who can be seen in the visor reflection along with Earth[64]
In the early 1980s, VOA began a $1.3 billion rebuilding program to improve broadcast with better technical capabilities. During the implementation of theMartial law in Poland between 1981 and 1983, VOA's Polish broadcasts expanded to seven hours daily. Throughout the 1980s, VOA focused on covering events from the "American hinterland", such as 150th anniversary of theOregon Trail.[53] Also in the 1980s, VOA also added a television service, as well as special regional programs to Cuba,Radio Martí andTV Martí. Cuba has consistently attempted to jam such broadcasts and has vociferously protested U.S. broadcasts directed at Cuba. In September 1980, VOA started broadcasting toAfghanistan inDari and inPashto in 1982.[65] In 1981, VOA opened a bureau in Beijing, China.[66] The next year, it began regular exchanges withRadio Peking.[66]
In 1985, VOA Europe was created as a special service in English that was relayed via satellite to AM, FM, and cable affiliates throughout Europe. With a contemporary format including live disc jockeys, the network presented top musical hits as well as VOA news and features of local interest (such as "EuroFax") 24 hours a day. VOA Europe was closed down without advance public notice in January 1997 as a cost-cutting measure.[67] It was followed by VOA Express, which from July 4, 1999, revamped into VOA Music Mix.[68] Since November 1, 2014, stations are offered VOA1 (which is a rebranding of VOA Music Mix).[69]
In 1989, Voice of America expanded itsMandarin andCantonese programming to reach the millions of Chinese and inform the country about the pro-democracy movement within the country, including the demonstration in Tiananmen Square.[70] Starting in 1990, the U.S. consolidated its international broadcasting efforts, with the establishment of the Bureau of Broadcasting.[71]
With the breakup of the Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe, VOA added many additional language services to reach those areas. This decade was marked by the additions of services inStandard Tibetan,Kurdish (to Iran and Iraq),Serbo-Croatian (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian),Macedonian, andRwanda-Rundi.[72][73]
In 1993, theClinton administration advised cutting funding forRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as it believed post-Cold War information and influence was not needed in Europe. This plan was not well received, and US PresidentBill Clinton then proposed the compromise of theInternational Broadcasting Act, which he signed into law in 1994. This law established theInternational Broadcasting Bureau as a part of theUnited States Information Agency (USIA), and established theBroadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) with oversight authority, which took control from the Board for International Broadcasters which previously had overseen funding for RFE/RL.[74] In 1998, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act was signed into law, and mandated that the BBG become anindependent federal agency as of October 1, 1999. This act also abolished the USIA, and merged most of its functions into those of the State Department.[75]
The Arabic Service was abolished in 2002 and replaced by a new radio service, called the Middle East Radio Network orRadio Sawa, with an initial budget of $22 million. Radio Sawa offered mostly Western and Middle Eastern popular songs with periodic brief news bulletins. It then expanded to television withAlhurra in February 2004 (and later to various social media and websites).[76] In May 2004, the US government's international English language TV serviceWorldnet, became part of VOA as "VOA TV".
As part of an effort to allocate resources to broadcasts in theMuslim world,[77][78] radio programs in Russian, Hindi, Ukrainian, Serbian, Macedonian and Bosnian ended in 2008.[77][78] In September 2010, VOA began radio broadcasts in Sudan. As U.S. interests inSouth Sudan grew, there was a desire to provide people with free information.[79] In 2013, budget cuts led VOA to end foreign-language transmissions on shortwave and medium wave to Albania, Georgia, Iran, and Latin America, as well as English-language broadcasts to the Middle East and Afghanistan.[80] Then, in 2014, most of its English-language transmissions to Asia were cut,[81] as well as shortwave transmissions in Azerbaijani, Bengali, Khmer, Kurdish, Lao, Uzbek, and Greek.[81][82][83]
In 1994, Voice of America became the first broadcast-news organization to offer continuously updated programs on the Internet.[84]
From 1948 until its amendment in 2013, Voice of America was forbidden to broadcast directly to American citizens, pursuant to § 501 of theSmith–Mundt Act.[85] The intent of the 1948 legislation was to protect the American public from propaganda by its own government and to avoid any competition with private American companies.[86] The act was amended via the passage of theSmith-Mundt Modernization Act provision of theNational Defense Authorization Act for 2013.[87] The amendment was intended to adapt the law to the Internet and to allow American citizens access to VOA content.[88]
VOA Radiogram was an experimental Voice of America program that started in March 2013 and ended in June 2017, which transmitteddigital text and images viashortwaveradiograms.[89][90] There were 220 editions of the program, transmitted each weekend from the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station. The audio tones that comprised the bulk of each 30-minute program were transmitted via ananalogtransmitter, and could bedecoded using a basicAMshortwave receiver with freely downloadable software of theFldigi family. This software was available forWindows,macOS,Linux, andFreeBSD systems. Broadcasts could also be decoded using the free TIVAR app from theGoogle Play store using anyAndroid device. The mode used most often onVOA Radiogram, for both text and images, wasMFSK32, but other modes were also occasionally transmitted. The final edition ofVOA Radiogram was transmitted during the weekend of June 17–18, 2017, a week before the retirement of the program producer from VOA. An offer to continue the broadcasts on a contract basis was declined, so a follow-on show calledShortwave Radiogram began transmission on June 25, 2017, from theWRMI transmitting site in Okeechobee, Florida.[91][92]
In 2021, Voice of America launched 52 Documentary, a series that publishes weekly films about human experiences.[93] The series is presented on the streaming app, VOA+, andYouTube. Films average 10–15 minutes and are translated with captions in several languages, including Russian, Persian, Mandarin, Urdu, and English.Euna Lee directs the program.[94]
After theJanuary 2017 inauguration of US PresidentDonald Trump, tweets by Voice of America seemed to support debunked claims by White House press secretarySean Spicer about the crowd size and related media coverage. This raised concerns over possible attempts by Trump to politicize VOA.[95][96][97][98] An Obama-era law gave the powers of the board of theBroadcasting Board of Governors to a CEO appointed by the president, and Trump's selection of aides to work with the CEO - a former writer for theright-wing websiteThe Daily Surge and a field director fromAmericans for Prosperity - during thepresidential transition, raised concerns about VOA being transformed into a more traditional state propaganda platform.[95] VOA officials responded with assurances that they would not become "Trump TV",[95] citing existing laws that prevent interference in editorial processes.[97]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, claims and messaging by the Trump administration diverged from that of public health experts and journalists.[99][100] In April 2020, theWhite House published an article in its daily newsletter critical of VOA coverage of thecoronavirus pandemic.[101]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) press official Michawn Rich sent a memo to agency employees telling them to deny interview requests by VOA.[102] When VOA reported that Vice PresidentMike Pence's office required the press to wear masks to cover his visit to the Mayo Clinic, his office then threatened retaliation against the reporter, according to theWashington Post.[103]
On June 3, 2020, the US Senate confirmedMichael Pack, a conservative documentarian and close ally ofSteve Bannon, to serve as head of the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA.[104] Subsequently, Director Bennet and deputy director Sandy Sugawara resigned from VOA. On June 17, the heads of VOA's Middle East Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund were all fired, their boards were dissolved, and external communications from VOA employees required approval from senior agency personnel in what one source described as an "unprecedented" move.[105] Four former members of the advisory boards filed suit challenging Pack's standing to fire them.[106] On July 9, NPR reported VOA would not renew the work visas of dozens of non-resident reporters, many of whom could face repercussions in their home countries.[107] In late July, four contractors and the head of VOA'sUrdu-language service were suspended after a video featuring extensive clips from a Muslim-American voter conference, including a campaign message from then-Democratic presidential candidateJoe Biden, was determined not to meet editorial standards and taken down.[108] ThePost reported that VOA Spanish-language service White House correspondent's Brigo Segovia's interview with an official about the administration's response to Pack's personnel and other moves had been censored and his own access to VOA's computer system restricted.[109]
In response to Pack's August 27 interview withThe Federalist website, a group of VOA journalists sent a letter to VOA Acting Director Elez Biberaj complaining that Pack's "comments and decisions 'endanger the personal security of VOA reporters at home and abroad, as well as threatening to harm U.S. national security objectives.'"[110] VOA's response indicated the journalists may be punished for sending the letter.[109]
On September 29, six senior USAGM officials filed a whistleblower complaint in which they alleged that Pack or one of his aides had ordered research conducted into the voting history of at least one agency employee, which would be a violation of laws protecting civil servants from undue political influence.[111] NPR reported that two Pack aides had compiled a report on VOA White House bureau chiefSteven L. Herman's social media postings and other writings in an attempt to charge him with a conflict of interest, and that the agency released a conflict of interest policy stating in part that a "journalist who on Facebook 'likes' a comment or political cartoon that aggressively attacks or disparages the President must recuse themselves from covering the President."[112] Apreliminary injunction issued on November 20 barred Pack "from making personnel decisions involving journalists at the networks; from directly communicating with editors and journalists employed by them; and from investigating any editors or news stories produced by them," and characterized the investigation of Herman as an "unconstitutional prior restraint" of his, his editors', and fellow journalists' free speech.[113]
Suspended officials from Voice of America sued the agency news outlet on October 8. They accused Pack of using Voice of America as a vehicle to promote the personal agenda of President Trump and of violating a statutory firewall intended to prevent political interference with the agency, and they sought their reinstatement.[114] In November 2020, US District CourtJudge Beryl Howell found Pack violated theFirst Amendment rights of Voice of America journalists.[115]
In December 2020,The Washington Post reported that Pack was refusing to cooperate withPresident-elect Biden's transition team and, in an end run around the court order, had persuaded VOA Acting Director Biberaj to step down, replacing him withRobert Reilly, a former VOA director who had written critically of Muslims, gays, and lesbians.[116][117] On December 19, 33 days before President-elect Biden's inauguration, Pack named Ted Lipien, a former VOA veteran journalist who had since become an outspoken critic of the platform, as head of RFE/RL, andBreitbart writerJeffrey Scott Shapiro as head of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.[118][119][120][121] Pack attempted to add contractual language that would make it impossible to fire the broadcasting board members he had installed for two years, but it was withdrawn after inquiries from media and Congress.[122]
Then-Secretary of StateMike Pompeo speaks at VOA headquarters in January 2021.
On January 11, 2021, VOA interim director Reilly ordered veteran reporterPatsy Widakuswara off the White House beat. Secretary of StateMike Pompeo gave a speech critical of VOA and conducted an interview with VOA Director Robert Reilly about the dangers of censorship, then did not take permit press questions to Widakuswara followed Pompeo out, trying to ask questions.[123][124][125][126] In response, dozens of VOA journalists, including Widakuswara, wrote and circulated a petition calling on Reilly and public affairs specialist Elizabeth Robbins to resign.[127] In a statement,U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee ChairmanGregory Meeks and ranking memberMichael McCaul supported her reinstatement.[123]
As of 2024, the audience was larger than the next-largest international broadcaster, theBBC World Service.[128]
On January 19, the last full day of the Trump presidency, Pack named a slate of five directors to head each of the three USAGM boards for RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks: conservative radio talk show host Blanquita Cullum,Liberty Counsel officer Johnathan Alexander, former White House staffer Amanda Milius, conservative writer Roger Simon, andCenter for the National Interest Fellow Christian Whiton.[129] The following day, Pack resigned at the request of the Biden administration.[130] On January 21, Shapiro resigned from the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Biden named veteran VOA journalistKelu Chao to replace Pack. Chao in turn dismissed Riley and Robbins from VOA, naming Yolanda Lopez, another VOA veteran, as acting director; Lopez had also been reassigned in the wake of the Pompeo interview.[131] On January 22, the Biden administration firedVictoria Coates and her deputy Robert Greenway from the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, naming Kelley Sullivan as acting head.[132][133]
In December 2024, Donald Trump, as president-elect, announcedKari Lake would be his choice for VOA Director. Lake had called for imprisoning journalists whose reporting she called "lies",[134] called for imprisoning a political opponent,[134] lost elections for Arizona governor and senator, advanced false claims around both her and Trump's election losses and left her previous job with the Phoenix, Arizona, affiliate ofFox News after controversies including spreadingCOVID-19 misinformation.[135] Though the president may make a nomination, under the International Broadcasting Act only theInternational Broadcasting Advisory Board has the authority to approve the appointment or removal of the VOA Director.[136][137]
In February 2025,Elon Musk, the functional leader of DOGE,[138] called for VoA andRadio Free Europe to shut down,[139] coming after previously made suggestions by other government officials to shutter the agency.[140][141] In February and March 2025, it was reported that at VOA, a chief national correspondent was placed on paid absence and veteran reporterPatsy Widakuswara was reassigned from the White Housebeat.[142] Widakuswara had been given the same reassignment during the first Trump administration, which was reversed under Biden.[143] At the same time, it was also reported that at least two articles containing criticism of Trump were not published or were changed after publication. A Trump administration official,Richard Grenell, called the VOA chief correspondent's comments "treasonous" in a post on X.[144][142]
VOA Burmese goes dark at 21:00 Myanmar Time on March 15, 2025, as a result of staff reductions and lockouts.
On the night of March 14, Trump signed anexecutive order, calling the agency "the Voice of Radical America" and reducing the functions of several agencies including the U.S. Agency for Global Media to the minimum required by law.[145][146] The next day, all employees could not access VOA headquarters, and many VOA foreign language broadcasts replaced news and other regularly scheduled programming with music.[19][20][147] More than 1,300 Voice of America employees were placed on leave.[18][19][147] VOA has also set about ending contracts with theAssociated Press,Reuters andAgence France-Presse.Kari Lake, the special advisor to the USAGM selected by Trump, estimated ending these contracts would save $53 million.[148] Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, said in aFacebook post on March 15, that he was also placed on leave, along with "virtually the entire staff" of 1,300. The announcement came exactly 24 hours after President Trump signed an executive order to gut VOA's parent agency as well as the network having a move to terminate contracts withThe Associated Press,Reuters, andAgence France-Presse.[148] Some of VOA's local-language radio stations have stopped broadcasting news reports and switched over to music automation to fill the airtime.[149]
For the first time since VOA was founded, in 1942, to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II, the network went dark in March. In some parts of the world, viewers wondered if the blank screens meant a coup had taken place in the U.S.,Steve Herman, who recently retired from VOA after a 20-year career, told me.
The decision to cut the service, which has primarily served to counter propaganda in authoritarian countries, was met with praise from Russianstate media pundits and condemnation byReporters Without Borders, who said it sends a "chilling signal" to China and Russia that they "now have free rein to spread their propaganda unchecked."[151][152][153]
In response, lawsuits were filed against the Trump administration in March 2025. One lawsuit noted that some VOA employees were foreign nationals with J-1 visas and faced risks to their safety if they were forced to return to their home countries if their visas were to be revoked due to loss of employment. In March 2025, theDistrict Court for the Southern District of New York issued a temporary restraining order, preventing the Trump administration from carrying out any further actions resulting from the executive order, including terminating staff, ending contracts or closing offices.[154][155] At the defendants' request this case was transferred to the District of Columbia district court.[156]
On April 22, 2025, a preliminary injunction from theU.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Trump administration to 1) restore VOA and return its employees and contractors to work, 2) restore VOA's 2025 grants toRadio Free Asia andMiddle East Broadcasting Networks, and 3) restore VOA as "a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news."[157][158] On May 3, a three-judge panel of theCourt of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stayed the first two parts of the injunction in a 2-1 decision citing a lack of jurisdiction by the district court, one judge (appointed by Barack Obama) dissenting from the decision of the other two (who were both appointed by Donald Trump).[159][160] The third part of the district court's injunction remains in effect. On August 25 the district court ordered Lake and two other defendants to sit for depositions before September 15 as "one final opportunity, short of acontempt trial" to show they were complying with the third part of the injunction.[161]
On June 20, 2025, layoff notices were sent to 639 VOA employees, effectively shutting down the service.[23] On June 29, the layoffs were rescinded by Kari Lake due to errors in the notices.[163]
Mass layoffs forced many VOA journalists on J-1 visas to leave the U.S. within 30 days of losing their jobs. In July, referring to former VOA employees, Lake told the right-wingReal America's Voice media channel that "If you overstay your visa,ICE is going to find you."[150]
In late August 2025, the Trump administration announced further reductions, paring the staff to 108 persons. Two areas that are not being eliminated are Farsi-speaking staff and those in its Office of Cuba Broadcasting division.[164]
On August 29, Lake announced on social media that all but about 100 VOA employees would receive layoff notices. From broadcasting in 49 languages daily to 360 million people, as of that date VOA broadcast in only four languages (Persian, Mandarin and the Afghani languages Dari and Pashto).[165]
Subsequently, 532 full-time VOA employees received layoff notices. However, on September 30 the district court ordered the layoff suspended and the defendants to provide information including a plan to restore VOA as a reliable and authoritative news source by October 14. In its order, the court noted the "concerning disrespect" the defendants had shown toward its earlier orders that it said "would more than support a trial on civil contempt."[166][167]
The current director, Michael Abramowitz, assumed the position in July 2024. He previously served as president ofFreedom House and spent nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor forThe Washington Post.[168]
In December 2024, president-elect Trump announced he would name former news anchorKari Lake to be the director of VOA.[169] Under the International Broadcasting Act only theInternational Broadcasting Advisory Board has the authority to approve the appointment or removal of the VOA Director.[136][137]
Voice of America has been a part of several agencies. From its founding in 1942 to 1945, it was part of theOffice of War Information, and then from 1945 to 1953 as a function of the State Department. VOA was placed under theU.S. Information Agency in 1953. When the USIA was abolished in 1999, VOA was placed under the BBG which is an autonomous U.S. government agency, with bipartisan membership. The Secretary of State has a seat on the BBG.[170] The BBG was established as a buffer to protect VOA and other U.S.-sponsored, non-military, international broadcasters from political interference. It replaced the Board for International Broadcasting (BIB) that oversaw the funding and operation ofRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a branch of VOA.[74]
Voice of America's editorial policies are intended to cultivate a reputation for accuracy.[171][172] It has enacted several policies over time to reduce the ability of politicians to interfere.
Under the Eisenhower administration in 1959, VOA DirectorHenry Loomis commissioned a formal statement of principles to protect the integrity of VOA programming and define the organization's mission, and was issued by DirectorGeorge V. Allen as a directive in 1960 and was endorsed in 1962 by USIA directorEdward R. Murrow.[173] VOA's charter was signed into law by PresidentGerald Ford.[6]: 218 The charter requires it to "present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively."[174]: 218 Academics including Téwodros W. Workneh have described this as apublic diplomacy function.[174]: 218 VOA's charter also requires it to be "a reliable and authoritative source of news" which "shall be accurate, objective, and comprehensive".[174]: 218 According to former VOA correspondent Alan Heil, the internal policy of VOA News is that any story broadcast must have two independently corroborating sources or have a staff correspondent witness an event.[175]
The Voice of America "Firewall" was put into place with the 1976 VOA Charter and laws passed in 1994 and 2016. The firewall's aim is to guard against propaganda while promoting unbiased and objective journalistic standards in the agency.[176][177]
Despite the firewall, some VOA employees have emphasized how their work serves the goals of the U.S. government. In one instance, a VOA employee told another journalist that "I always keep the best U.S. interests in mind when explaining official policies and why democracy is the best political system to foreign audiences."[178]
TheBethany Relay Station, operational from 1944 to 1994, was based on a 625-acre (2.53 km2) site inUnion Township (now West Chester Township) inButler County, Ohio, nearCincinnati.[179] Major transmitter upgrades first were undertaken around 1963, when shortwave and medium-wave transmitters were built, upgraded, or rebuilt.[53] The site is now a recreational park with a Voice of America museum. Other former sites include California (Dixon andDelano), Hawaii,Okinawa, Liberia (Monrovia), Costa Rica, Belize, and at least two in Greece (Kavala and Rhodos).
The Voice of America website had five English-language broadcasts as of 2014 (worldwide,Learning English,Cambodia,Zimbabwe, andTibet). Additionally, the VOA website has versions in 48 foreign languages.[182][1]
Radio programs are marked with an "R"; television programs with a "T":
A study was done on Chinese students in America. It found that through the VOA, they disapproved of the actions of the Chinese government.[185][non-primary source needed] Another study was done on Chinese scholars in America, and found that the VOA had an effect on their political beliefs. Their political beliefs did not change in relation to China, though, as they did not tend to believe the VOA's reports on China.[189]
In February 2013, a documentary released byChina Central Television interviewed a Tibetan allegedself-immolator who survived his suicide attempt. The interviewee said he was motivated by Voice of America's broadcasts of commemorations of people who committed suicide in political self-immolation. VOA denied instigating self-immolations and demanded that the Chinese station retract its report.[190]
On April 19, 2017, the VOA Mandarin Service interviewed Chinese real estate tycoonGuo Wengui in a live broadcast. Thegovernment of China warned VOA representatives not to interview Guo about his "unsubstantiated allegations".[191][192] During the interview, Guo said he had evidence of corruption among the members of thePolitburo Standing Committee of China, the highest political authority of China. It was then abruptly halted by VOA leadership less than half-way into the three-hour interview. Guo's allegations involved Fu Zhenhua andWang Qishan (a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and the leader of the anti-graft movement).[193] The following August, four U.S. Congressmen requested an investigation into the event, with theOffice of Inspector General (OIG) concluding that the VOA leadership decision to curtail the Guo interview was based solely onjournalistic best practices, rather than due to any pressure from the Chinese government.[194] Another investigation byMark Feldstein, Chair of Broadcast Journalism at theUniversity of Maryland, College Park, came to similar conclusions, criticizing the VOA Mandarin Service interview team for not following instructions by VOA leadership.[195][196]
Peter Heinlein led the service from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, he wrote a complaint about the service, citing role confusion whereby non-journalist translators took on the role of journalists.[197] The service was mostly seen as anti-Ethiopian government until 2018, when Negussie Mengesha, the head of the VOA Africa division for several years, met the newly appointed Ethiopian prime ministerAbiy Ahmed.[197] In May 2021, several former employees accused VOA'sAmharic service, under Mengesha, of being biased in favor of the government of Ahmed and failing to report onatrocities committed during theTigray War.[198] VOA journalist Jason Patinkin reported the problems "at every level of the VOA hierarchy" and resigned, saying it had "sided with the perpetrators both by commission and omission" of "potential crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and perhaps even genocide".[197] In June 2021,Mail & Guardian reported on an investigation which found that during the Tigray War, the only major foreign news service that was not harassed by Ethiopian security services was VOA.[197] VOA frequently covered theMai Kadra massacre, mostly attributed to Tigrayan youth and documented byAmnesty International, while later focusing on the Ethiopian government's dismissal of Amnesty International's report on theAxum massacre rather than on the methods and content of the report itself. A majority of the stories about the war only showed government or military officials' points of view.[197] Instructions emailed to staff stated that the terms "civil war" and "war" were forbidden in reporting on the Tigray War, with Scott Stearns writing on November 14, according toMail & Guardian, "There are to be no deviations from these instructions by any member of any Africa division language service on any platform."[197]
After theOctober 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, an email was sent to Voice of America staff from the associate editor for news standards with guidance related to how to refer to the actions ("terrorist acts" or "acts of terror") and advice about how to refer to individual members ofHamas, i.e. to use the term "terrorist" only in direct quotes from sources.[199] At the time, VOA was not the only news outlet with journalists discussing how to objectively refer to theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[199] Six Republican members of Congress signed a letter sent by SenatorBill Hagerty, which criticized and strongly objected to the editorial guidance about how to refer to individual members of Hamas.[199] USAGM chief executive Amanda Bennett sent a letter to the senators to clarify that the VOA email was guidance only, and "There is no policy prohibiting the use of the words 'terror,' 'terrorism,' or 'terrorist'" at VOA, and stating the news organizations within USAGM "counsel care and attention in the use of the words but do not place any restrictions on the appropriate use."[199] The controversy prompted Congress to reduce the budget of VOA's parent organization, USAGM.[200]
VOA's service in Iran had a negative impact onKurds andKurdistan according to the publicationKurdish Life in 2000. They claimed that the VOA exacerbated the conflict between theTalabani and theBarzani.[201] They further claimed that the VOA covered up wrongful imprisonments, wrongful arrests, and the building of extremist mosques. According to the same publication, Kurds were being turned into fanatics, and a new generation of terrorists was forming because of the VOA. They claimed the VOA was doing this to helpPUK.[202]
On June 12, 2024, the House Foreign Affairs Committee concluded that there was "credible evidence of corruption" regarding the matter of Setareh Derakhshesh Sieg, the former director of Voice of America's Persian News Network (PNN).[210] Sieg had been terminated in January 2021 for falsifying her education credentials and corruption-related offenses, but was later reinstated in February under the Biden administration.[211]
The VOA's DEEWA Radio airs in Pakistan. Although in 2015 some listeners were suspicious that the program was promoting an American agenda, others said they were experiencing a positive effect. Some listeners felt that the programs were giving a voice to the voiceless, giving them a sense of empowerment.[212] In 2018, the Pakistani authorities blocked the website of VOA's Pashto and Urdu language radio service.[213][214]
In January 2016, upon his arrival in Moscow, Russian authorities detained and then deportedJeff Shell, the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that oversees the Voice of America, despite his having a valid Russian visa.[215] Russian authorities did not explain their actions.[215]
Round-the-clock broadcasting of Current Time began on February 7, 2017.[216][217][218]
In December 2017, under a new directive from Russia'sKremlin after a new law was passed by theState Duma (Russia's lower house of parliament) and the upper houseFederation Council and signed by Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, Voice of America was deemed a "foreign agent" under theRussian foreign agent law.[219][220] In June 2021, the Russian news agencyTASS reported that Russia's state communications watchdogRoskomnadzor complained that the foreign agent Voice of America radio station challengingly refused to observe Russian law because it had not established a Russian legal entity.[221]Roskomnadzor also said that VOA was as a foreign agent "obliged to mark their content and provide information about all aspects of their activity, including a detailed description of contacts with the authorities."[221]
In March 2022, VOA and other news broadcasters, including theBBC,Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, andDeutsche Welle were blocked in Russia,[222] as after theRussian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian authorities increased censorship of independent journalism, anti-war protests, and dissenting voices.[223][224][225][226] Nevertheless, many Russians have usedVPNs and other software to get around Russian government blocks.[227][228] As of March 2022, VOA broadcasts were reaching people in Russia and the region through TV, FM and medium wave radio, digital, and direct-to-home satellite.[226] In May 2023, Russia banned then-acting VOA chief Yolanda Lopez from ever entering the country.[229]
From 2019 to 2025,Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activistUlviyya Ali worked with the Azerbaijani Service of Voice of America, where she authored and broadcast over 1000 news-pieces and reports. Her work often focused on politically sensitive topics such aspolitical trials in Azerbaijan, human rights violations, protests, rallies, and civil disobedience actions against the regime ofIlham Aliyev. During her journalistic activities, she faced multiple instances of detention, police obstruction, and ill-treatment.[230] In February 2025, Voice of America journalist's accreditations in Azerbaijan were revoked.[230] Ulviyya Ali was arrested in May 2025.[231][232]
On June 30, 2022, the Turkish media watchdog,Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), blocked access to VOA's website amerikaninsesi.com inTurkey because VOA had not applied for the necessary license, which would subject VOA to certain obligations.[233][234] The RTÜK regulation requires foreign news outlets that publish in Turkey to apply for publication licenses, mandates that at least half of the media organization be owned by a Turkish citizen, and would force VOA to remove content deemed inappropriate by RTÜK.[235] VOA Turkish subsequently broadcast over a different VOA website domain name, voaturkce.com, which in August 2023 was blocked as well.[236] VOA said that "Given VOA's status as a public service international broadcaster legally required to provide 'accurate, objective, and comprehensive' news coverage to its global audience, VOA cannot comply with any directive intended to enable censorship."[236] VOA Turkey, after it was blocked, shared instructions on its social media accounts as to how to use a VPN to access its content.[237]
^Sterling, Christopher H.; Kittross, John Michael (2001).Stay Tuned: a History of American Broadcasting. LEA's Communication Series (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. p. 263.ISBN978-0-8058-2624-1.
^Anthony, Edwin D. (1973)."Records of the Radio Division"(PDF).Records of the Office of Inter-American Affairs. Vol. Inventory of Record Group 229. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Record Services – General Services Administration. pp. 25–26.LCCN73-600146.Archived(PDF) from the original on February 2, 2017. RetrievedOctober 18, 2020.
^"Voice of America".Ohio Memory. Ohio History Connection, State Library of Ohio. February 24, 2023.Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2024.
^Folsom, Merrill (May 28, 1953). "'Voice' to Drop Boy's Broadcasts; Can't Afford to Answer Fan Mail".The New York Times. Vol. CII, no. 34823. p. 1.
^abcTimothy Garton Ash (2010). A. Ross Johnson; R. Eugene Parta (eds.).Cold War broadcasting: impact on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe : a collection of studies and documents. Budapest: Central European University Press.ISBN978-1-4416-7708-2.OCLC671648365.
^Conference Report,Cold War Impact of VOA Broadcasts, Hoover Institution and the Cold War International History Project of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Oct. 13–16, 2004
^United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations. (1992).The Radio Free China Act, S. 2985 : hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, second session, September 15, 1992. Washington: U.S. G.P.O.ISBN0-16-039614-X.OCLC27408482.
^"USAGM".USAGM.Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. RetrievedDecember 12, 2020.
^"Voice of America broadcasts in 52 languages".VOA Guide: Voice of America English Broadcasts Worldwide. University of Minnesota: VOA. 1998. p. 8.Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. RetrievedApril 19, 2022.
^abRaghavan, Sudarsan V., Stephen S. Johnson, and Kristi K. Bahrenburg. "Sending cross-border static: on the fate of Radio Free Europe and the influence of international broadcasting," Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 47, 1993, access on March 25, 2011.
^Broderick, James F., and Darren W. Miller.Consider the Source: A Critical Guide to 100 prominent news and information sites on the Web. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2007.ISBN978-0-910965-77-4, p. 388.
^Pravda, Ukrainska (February 9, 2025)."Elon Musk calls for Radio Free Europe and Voice of America to be shut down". Yahoo! Finance.Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. RetrievedMarch 7, 2025.American billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has called for the US-funded radio stations Radio Free Europe and Voice of America to be shut down.
^Belida, Alex (February 11, 2017)."The Fate of VOA in the Balance". USC Center on Public Diplomacy.Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. RetrievedMarch 7, 2025.
^Zhang, Liquing; Dominick, Joseph R. (1998). "Penetrating the Great Wall: the ideological impact of Voice of America newscasts on young Chinese intellectuals of the 1980s".Journal of Radio Studies.5 (1):82–101.doi:10.1080/19376529809384531.
Cull, Nicholas J. (2008).The Cold War and the United States Information Agency: American Propaganda and Public Diplomacy, 1945-1989. Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0521819978.
Dizard, Wilson P. (2004).Inventing Public Diplomacy: The Story of the U.S. Information Agency. Lynne Rienner Publishers.ISBN1-58826-288-X.
Pomar, Mark G. (2022)Cold War Radio: The Russian Broadcasts of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (University of Nebraska Press, 2022)online scholarly book reviewArchived July 21, 2024, at theWayback Machine
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
_crowned.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
%2c_Flag_of_Serbia_(1947%25E2%2580%25931992).svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.png)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
