Maung Sar Ga, Narinjara News, 19 March 2025 

The US-based Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) are confronting the prospect of indefinite shutdown. 

The two news organizations are managed by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees significant news entities in the United States. 

On March 14, President Donald Trump issuedan executive order directing the USAGM and six additional agencies to reduce their activities to the legal minimum necessary. 

Shortly after the executive order was announced, audiences could not access live news broadcasts from VOA (Burmese) on its social media platforms and website. 

A person from Arakan State, who frequently tunes into VOA, informed Narinjara News on March 16, “I can no longer listen to VOA on the radio. I've been told that it has been stopped." 

VOA Director General Michael Abramowitz posted on his social media, "For the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced." 

After the executive order, around 1,300 VOA reporters, producers, and support personnel have been put on administrative leave beginning March 15. 

On March 16, VOA Burmese posted on its social media that "live broadcasts of VOA Burmese are currently on hold and will start again shortly." 

Likewise, RFA Burmese disclosed on March 15 that it had obtained a letter from the US government stating the cancellation of federal grants supporting RFA and its affiliated networks, starting Saturday morning, March 15. 

The letter indicated that the federal grant for the agency had ended and that RFA needed to "promptly return any unobligated funds." 

It also mentioned that an appeal could be submitted within 30 days.

“Today’s announcement not only disenfranchises the nearly 60 million individuals who rely on RFA’s reporting weekly for the truth, but it also benefits America’s enemies at our own cost,” stated RFA’s president. 

RFA also stated that it was unclear how and when operations would be suspended.

RFA also mentioned that it was uncertain how and when the operations would be halted. 

U Toe Zaw Latt, the secretary of the Thailand-based Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM), voiced worries about the shutdowns, noting, “The citizens of Myanmar will be the primary ones impacted. Numerous individuals depend on these two news sources for information; thus, the public’s right to know will be affected directly. Another issue is the staff employed at these outlets, as they function in authoritarian regimes where independent media is limited. They transmit in more than 40 languages, including Burmese. The absence of access to this information will greatly affect not only Myanmar but the world as a whole.“

VOA was founded in 1942, amidst World War II, to combat Nazi propaganda. 

At present, it transmits in 49 languages globally, including Burmese. The Burmese Facebook page of VOA has nearly 19 million followers. 

Likewise, RFA was created by legislation enacted by the US Congress in 1996 and presently transmits in nine Asian languages, including Burmese. 

It is reported that the RFA Facebook page has approximately 14 million followers. 

Both VOA and RFA provide news through multiple channels, such as radio, television, and the internet. 

IPCM Secretary U Toe Zaw Latt highlighted the wider consequences of their shutdown, stating, “Another issue is that when authoritarian regimes intentionally disseminate false information, genuine news emerges as the crucial weapon to combat it. If these areas remain unoccupied, I am concerned that false information and propaganda, particularly from authoritarian governments such as China and Russia, will take over the void.”

Among the media organizations whose federal funding has been cut are Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, VOA, and RFA. 

Likewise, the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, directly managed by USAGM, put all employees on paid administrative leave on Saturday.