In two separate strongly worded statements, issued on 21 and 22 March 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has vehemently condemned the Trump administration’s executive order dismantling the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which has resulted in the furlough of 75 per cent of Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) US-based staff.
RSF warns that this decision threatens the survival of independent media outlets like RFA and Voice of America (VOA) and endangers the safety of journalists working abroad. The NGO highlights the grave risk of deporting 30 US-based journalists, some of whom could face persecution in their home countries due to their journalistic work. RSF criticises the Trump administration's actions as not only a severe attack on press freedom but also a strategic effort to suppress independent journalism, aligning with authoritarian tactics and undermining democratic principles both within the US and globally.
In response to these actions, RSF has joined VOA employees and their unions in filing a legal complaint against USAGM, demanding an immediate halt to the dissolution of VOA and the swift reinstatement of its staff. The NGO emphasises the significant harm this move inflicts on press freedom, asserting that it exemplifies how the Trump administration is using governmental power to dismantle key institutions of independent journalism. RSF stresses that these actions not only damage media freedom domestically but also send a dangerous message to authoritarian regimes worldwide, further threatening the ability of journalists to report freely and without fear of retaliation.
RSF has sharply criticised this action as not only a direct assault on press freedom but as a deliberate strategic effort to undermine independent journalism on a global scale. The decision to eliminate critical funding for independent media outlets, such as RFA, represents a profound setback for global press freedom, particularly in authoritarian regimes where free speech is already tightly controlled. By dismantling USAGM, the Trump administration has put the livelihoods of hundreds of journalists at risk, many of whom face the threat of deportation to countries where they could face serious persecution for their work.
Furthermore, RSF argues that this policy shift signals a dangerous alignment with authoritarian regimes, such as those in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, where state-controlled media dominate the information landscape. By cutting funding for RFA and other independent outlets, the US government weakens efforts to provide a counter-narrative to the pervasive propaganda spread by these regimes. This move, according to RSF, constitutes a grievous erosion of the US’s historic commitment to defending press freedom, not only at home but also globally. The decision to halt USAGM’s operations effectively silences one of the last remaining sources of uncensored and independent news in some of the world’s most repressive environments, further undermining the democratic values the US claims to champion.
The recent cuts to both Tibetan sections of the VOA and RFA, which run multiple Tibetan dialects, have had a devastating impact on the ability of these outlets to provide essential independent news to Tibetans, both in Tibet and in exile. These reductions, stemming from the dismantling of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) under an executive order by President Donald Trump, severely limit the outlets’ capacity to report on human rights abuses, political developments, and cultural preservation in Tibet, a region where censorship is rampant. The furlough of staff and risks leaving Tibetans without access to reliable and uncensored information, at a time when their struggles are already underreported. The loss of these critical media services represents a dangerous erosion of press freedom and amplifies the challenges faced by Tibetans in their fight for autonomy and recognition.
Tibetans, particularly those living in free countries abroad, including journalists, senior officials of the Central Tibetan Administration, parliamentarians, and supporters, have expressed their extreme shock, concerns, and worries over the recent developments. They have strongly appealed for the immediate reinstatement of funding and the restoration of journalistic operations for both the VOA and RFA Tibetan sections. This collective outcry has been voiced through a variety of platforms, including social media, demonstrations, and other advocacy methods. The overwhelming response reflects the deep anxiety within the Tibetan community, as these media outlets play a crucial role in providing unbiased, independent news and amplifying the voices of Tibetans who often face severe restrictions on their access to information. The call for action is not only a plea to safeguard the integrity of these journalistic services but also a broader demand to uphold the values of free press and human rights for Tibetans worldwide.
The global press freedom watchdog, in a statement issued on 22 March 2025, said: "Since 1996, Radio Free Asia has been providing reliable, independent local news on a weekly basis to millions of readers who lack access to a free press. Their reporters cover a wide range of topics — many of which are censored in state propaganda media that dominate certain countries where the outlet operates — in nine local languages, including Chinese, Uyghur, Tibetan, and Vietnamese. Even though repressive regimes often try to block public access to the outlet, RFA experienced historic growth in online engagement in 2024, amassing 257 million website views, a nearly 20 per cent increase from 2023."
Trump administration's "illegal" actions and "dangerous encouragement of authoritarian regimes":
The Paris based global press freedom watchdog RSF condemned the Trump administration's actions as illegal and a dangerous encouragement for authoritarian regimes, such as totalitarian communist China and the dictatorship in Russia, to intensify their crackdowns on press freedom, putting journalists and media organisations in peril worldwide. In a statement issued on 21 March 2025, RSF announced that it has joined VOA employees and their unions in filing a legal complaint against the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) following President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the editorially independent news outlet, demanding an immediate halt to the dissolution of VOA and the reinstatement of its employees, while highlighting the significant harm done to global press freedom.
“The Trump administration's regrettable, incomprehensible decision is a gigantic gift for authoritarian regimes in places like China and North Korea, which have been trying to censor independent information for years. Closing Radio Free Asia could turn these countries into complete information black holes. RSF calls on US Congress and international stakeholders to mobilise against this appalling move. The NGO stands in solidarity with RFA employees and is very concerned about the fate of three RFA journalists detained in Vietnam," said Thibaut Bruttin, General Director RSF.
'The actions of President Trump and some members of his administration reveal an emerging model of authoritarianism that cleverly manipulates the very principles of liberal democracy, such as freedom of the press and the right to information, to further an agenda of control. While many of these figures were once perceived as staunch defenders of democratic values, their use of these values to justify the dismantling of independent media institutions like the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and cuts to vital outlets like VOA and RFA marks a dangerous shift. This manipulation of democratic ideals, rather than upholding press freedom, serves to empower authoritarian regimes and suppress dissent both domestically and internationally. The Trump administration exemplified how authoritarianism is evolving—no longer just through overt repression, but through leveraging the language of liberty and transparency while curbing access to critical, independent information, and strategically co-opting democratic principles to consolidate power and silence opposition," TPI Editor-in-Chief, Yeshe Choesang, said in response to Trump's cuts in funding to media organisations.
“Authoritarian censorship regimes, like the Kremlin and the Chinese Communist Party, are loudly cheering for the death of Voice of America. It’s clear that Donald Trump’s action will encourage harsher crackdowns against journalists and press freedom, putting VOA and RSF staff, correspondents, volunteers, and supporters in greater danger. RSF is compelled to act to protect VOA and the broader press freedom community,” Clayton Weimers, Executive Director, RSF USA, said in a response to Trump's cuts in funding to RFA and VOA.
“The Trump administration's regrettable, incomprehensible decision is a gigantic gift for authoritarian regimes in places like China and North Korea, which have been trying to censor independent information for years. Closing Radio Free Asia could turn these countries into complete information black holes. RSF calls on US Congress and international stakeholders to mobilise against this appalling move. "The NGO stands in solidarity with RFA employees and is deeply concerned about the fate of three RFA journalists detained in Vietnam," Thibaut Bruttin, General Director of RSF, said in the statement issued on 22 March 2025.
The United States, once a global symbol of press freedom, now ranks 55th in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, a stark decline of ten positions. This drop reflects a broader erosion of democratic values, marked by growing distrust in the media, much of it fueled by political leaders like President Trump, whose rhetoric consistently targeted journalists as "enemies of the people." Such attacks have created a hostile environment for the press, while local law enforcement raids on newsrooms further undermine journalistic independence. RSF, which has compiled the index annually since 2002, highlights that the U.S. is experiencing a concerning shift, where political interference, legal threats, economic pressures, and growing societal hostility are all contributing factors. In 2021, RSF introduced a new methodology that evaluates countries based on political, legal, economic, sociocultural, and safety factors, and the U.S.'s deteriorating score in these areas demonstrates how authoritarian tactics are increasingly used to suppress the press, both domestically and abroad.
