"To a special order": Journalists of Radio Liberty and Voices of America were sent on vacation

US President Donald Trump ordered to eliminate the smoking “Radio Freedom” and “Voice of America” Agency. On Saturday, March 15, employees of the American International TRC Voice of America were sent to the “administrative” vacation, that is, the broadcaster’s work was actually discontinued.

How tells Reuters, the scale of removal is not yet fully understood. The agency confirms that “several” employees “Voices of America” – international media, which works in more than 40 languagessent him a copy of the email, in which they were informed of the immediate departure on vacation with the full maintenance of wages and benefits “to a special order.”

In emails sent by the head of the personnel of the Global Media Agency of the United States (USAGM), the Maternal Agency “Voice of America”, they were It is ordered not to go into the workplace and not have access to internal systems. The agency does not know about the scale of removal and could not get official comments on this matter.

The information is confirmed by the New York Times, noting that this message was received by “many journalists and other officers of the Voice of America”:

“Journalists noted that reduction [персонала, имеющего доступ к работе] So large -scale that in fact they have the end of the termination of the international broadcaster. “

One of the new York Times David Enrich published a copy of the letter, referring to confirmation from journalists about the authenticity of the document. He gives an indication to the employees of the broadcaster until Monday Send your personal contacts and be prepared to give explanations if they are needed. The letter also notes that this removal is not a punishment for any actions. Enrich gives the approval of informed colleagues from the Voice:

“As far as we can judge, from that moment the” voice of America “actually stops its activity.”

Before this, the broadcaster reduced the employees who did not have a permanent contract after Trump signed on Friday the decree that he entrusted with the US agency for global media (USAGM), which is also financed by Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Freedom and Radio Free Asia, and six other little -known agencies to reduce their activities to a minimum stipulated by law, saying that this is necessary to reduce it to reduce bureaucratic apparatus.

In addition to USAGM, the Federal Service for Mediation and Reconciliation, the International Center for Scientists named after Woodlon Wilson, Institute of Museum and Library Services, US Interdepartmental Council on Brustness, Fund for Financial Institutions of Community Development and Management Agency for Minority Development.

The decree states that these departments should eliminate all operations not provided for by law, as well as “reduce the fulfillment of their charter functions and the relevant personnel to the minimum presence and functions provided for by law.”

This decree is Trump's last step aimed at Reforming the federal bureaucracy – The task that he largely handed over to the technological billionaire Ilon Mask and his department of government effectiveness. Now the DOGE efforts have led to a potential reduction in more than 100,000 jobs in the 2.3-millionth Federal Civil Service, freezing foreign assistance and canceling thousands of programs and contracts.

Some Republicans accused the Voice of America and other media, financed by the state, of a biased attitude towards conservatives. Last month, Musk called for the closure of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in its post on the social network X.

The decision of Donald Trump to stop financing the media will be happy in Moscow and Tehran, the President of Radio Liberty said. The termination of state financing was confirmed by the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Stephen Capus. According to him, this will lead to a stop of broadcasting of a media company that existed for 75 years:

“Removing Radio Freedom/Radio Free Europe” will be a huge gift to the enemies of America. Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk will celebrate the termination of the RFE/RL. Almost 50 million people in closed societies, who depend on us in terms of accurate news and information every week, will not have access to the truth about America and the world. ”

One of the separately known Russian -speaking audience of the Radio Liberty projects is the presenter TV channel, which began broadcasting in 2016 against the backdrop of Russian aggression in Ukraine. In 2017, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation included it in the list of “foreign agents”, and in the early days of the full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation to Ukraine, the channel broadcasting was blocked in Russia along with a number of other media.

In 2024, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation introduced “Radio Liberty” to the list of “undesirable organizations” in the Russian FederationWhich practically equates its activity with extremist.

This week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced 83% of the programs of the International Development Agency (USAID) after a six -week audit.

On February 7, US President Donald Trump said that the US Agency for International Development “Corruption has reached an unheard of level”, and therefore it must be eliminated.

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