Voice of America (VOA), the U.S.-funded international broadcaster, has long positioned itself as a reliable and impartial news source, maintaining editorial independence regardless of the president or party in power. However, since President Trump’s election, that autonomy has faced growing scrutiny and pressure.
In recent months, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, VOA’s parent entity, has launched human-resources probes into VOA journalists for covering criticism of Trump or for remarks perceived as unfavorable toward him, according to multiple employees. Some of these journalists voiced concerns about the investigations during a meeting with VOA’s director this week.
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Steve Herman |
The scrutiny followed an incident weeks earlier when Herman posted a quote on social media from an anticorruption watchdog criticizing cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Richard Grenell, Trump’s “special missions” envoy, denounced the post on X as “treasonous,” arguing, “You don’t get to work against official U.S. government policies while being paid by US taxpayers,” and calling for Herman’s immediate dismissal.
That same Friday, VOA officials told Patsy Widakuswara, the outlet’s veteran White House bureau chief, that she was being reassigned to a different beat against her wishes, according to employees. Several VOA journalists suspected the move aimed to ease tensions with the Trump administration, though an official, speaking off the record, denied any such intent.
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