China cheers demise of Voice of America under Kari Lake

Chinese state media are commending President Donald Trump’s move to disband Voice of America and other U.S. government-funded news organizations that broadcast to authoritarian regimes. 

The state-backed Global Times published an editorial Monday in which it called VOA a “lie factory” with an “appalling track record” when it comes to China-related reporting. 

The editorial called the news outlet a “frontline propaganda tool,” criticizing coverage of Chinese military aggression in the South China Sea, alleged human rights violations, the coronavirus pandemic, and the Chinese economy. The Chinese Communist Party, which is known to control the media, has been critical of VOA and other U.S. government-funded news outlets, which have covered China for decades.

“As more Americans begin to break through their information cocoons and see a real world and a multidimensional China, the demonizing narratives propagated by VOA will ultimately become a laughingstock of the times,” the editorial added.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it has no comment on what it called an “internal affair of the U.S.” 

“In principle, we hope friends from the press will report on China and China-U.S. ties objectively and faithfully to play a better role in enhancing the two peoples’ mutual understanding and trust,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. 

The Trump administration signed an executive order late Friday seeking to make sweeping cuts at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees the VOA and other state-funded news agencies such as Radio Free Asia. 

“Such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” the order states. 

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has cut more than 100,000 jobs across the federal civilian workforce of about 2.3 million. He has canceled thousands of programs and contracts in an effort to scale back the federal bureaucracy.

All full-time employees and contractors with VOA were informed over the weekend that they had been placed on administrative leave via email from Crystal G. Thomas, director of human resources for USAGM, according to correspondence reviewed by the Washington Examiner. 

Republicans have long criticized VOA as being biased against conservatives. During Trump’s first term, he accused the outlet of speaking “for America’s adversaries — not its citizens.”  

Musk declared that VOA should be shut down in a post on X in February, claiming, “Nobody listens to them anymore.” 

“It’s a relic of the past,” Richard Grenell, Trump’s special envoy for special missions, wrote in a post in February as well. “We don’t need government-paid media outlets.”

Trump tapped Kari Lake, a two-time MAGA candidate, as the senior adviser over USAGM. When she was appointed, Trump said Lake would “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”

“She was really excited to be shaping Voice of America,” a source close to Lake said, who was granted to speak on the condition of anonymity. “I’m not entirely sure that this is the result she wanted, but at the same time, she supports Trump’s mission and DOGE’s efforts to downsize the federal government.” 

Less than a month ago, Lake seemed optimistic about her role and attempted to make the case that the agency was “worth trying to save.”

“We are fighting an information war, and there’s no better weapon than the truth. And I believe the Voice of America can be that weapon,” Lake said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Lake, a former local news anchor, applauded Trump’s move.

“From top-to-bottom, this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer — a national security risk for this nation — and irretrievably broken,” she said on Monday.

However, lawmakers and advocates supporting the news outlets warn the cuts will hurt America’s standing in the world and could undermine freedom of the press. 

Steve Capus, the president of Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, said the silencing of the network “would be a massive gift to America’s enemies. The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker.”

The Society of Professional Journalists also opposed the move, calling it a blow to press freedom.

“This is the first time in its more than 80 years of operations that VOA has gone dark, and that makes this a dark moment in the history of press freedom,” Emily Bloch, president of SPJ, said in a statement.

REFORM VOICE OF AMERICA, DON’T KILL IT 

Several Republicans also sounded off. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) praised VOA and other U.S.-funded outlets, saying they “play important roles in getting America’s story to the rest of the world.”

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said USAGM has been instrumental in disseminating information, specifically in China. 

“That’s why I strongly support many of its programs,” McCaul said, speaking to NPR. “Programs like [Radio Free Asia] provide day-to-day updates on far-off regions, uphold a free press even in authoritarian countries, and ensure Americans — and people everywhere — are not subject to our adversaries’ propaganda.”

Trump appointed conservative media critic Brent Bozell III to lead the USAGM, but he has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.