Donald Trump has declared media outlet Voice of America a “left-wing disaster” and wants republicans to “kill” it off. His goal is to dismantle the state-funded news outlet, Voice of America (VOA), which was launched in 1942.
The original goal of VOA was to combat Nazi propaganda with fully Americanized propaganda. VOA pushed “pro-American” propaganda during the Cold War, too, and with Trump’s “America first” and “make America great again” stance, one would think he’d be in full support. However, Trump claimed that VOA has veered toward partisanship in recent decades and the ruler has vowed to shut it down as part of his broader push to eliminate wasteful government spending.
“Why would a Republican want Democrat ‘mouthpiece’ Voice of America (VOA) to continue? It’s a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER – No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, according to a report by RT.
Those who value press freedom have criticized the move. “The wholesale destruction of public media outlets like Voice of America represents an unprecedented gift from Trump to the dictatorial censorship regimes in countries like China and Iran,” Clayton Weimers, the executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA, said.
Senior Trump adviser Kari Lake told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, is “rotten to the core” and should be reshaped to align with Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda.
Committee Chairman Brian Mast described USAGM as “a cesspool of spies, lies, and mismanagement” that “has promoted the very propaganda it was created to defeat.” He accused the agency of hiring foreign nationals, many of whom he said are “quite literally, security risks.” –RT
While VOA is obviously state-sponsored propaganda, the ruling class’s decision to try to have it shut down is good, only because it’s sponsored by the state. Any media in which the ruling class pays to be present is state-sponsored propaganda. But free speech advocates only seem to like free speech when it’s spewed from mouthpieces of the ruling.
What do you think? Is this a free speech violation? Or is it necessary to make sure the media reporting is fair and devoid of state propaganda? Let us know what you think!
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