State-run media in the US receives emergency funding boost
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is set to receive $7.46 million from its parent U.S. government agency, according to the broadcaster's announcement. The cash-strapped broadcaster will obtain a part of a grant that was previously withheld by...
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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is set to receive $7.46 million from its parent U.S. government agency, according to the broadcaster's announcement.
The cash-strapped broadcaster will obtain a part of a grant that was previously withheld by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. Agency for Global Media will release the funds, which cover the period from March 1 to 14, right before Trump signed an executive order that effectively dismantled U.S. Agency for Global Media operations.
Kari Lake, a Trump-appointed special adviser to USAGM, has expressed her commitment to reduce the agency to its smallest legally allowable size, labeling it “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer” and contending that it is “not salvageable.” She has also alleged various irregularities within the agency, claiming to have identified “massive national security violations” along with reports of infiltration by spies and terrorist sympathizers.
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus commented, “We hope the imminent disbursement of two weeks’ worth of funding that Congress appropriated to RFE/RL will keep our lights on until the court rules on the broader case.” He emphasized that it is “unlawful to deny us the funds that Congress has already appropriated to RFE/RL for the rest of this fiscal year.”
On the other hand, Abigail Stout, a U.S. Justice Department lawyer representing the USAGM, argued that the agency is within its rights to terminate the grant if RFE/RL violates the provisions of the International Broadcasting Act, stating, “The statute actually contemplates that the agency could terminate a grant.”
Originally established in the early 1950s as part of a CIA initiative, Radio Free Europe transmitted pro-Western propaganda to Eastern Bloc countries, while Radio Liberty focused on delivering content to the Soviet Union. The two entities merged into a single organization in the 1970s. USAGM currently oversees various U.S. state-funded international media platforms, including RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and other nonprofit outlets funded by the U.S. budget. Despite their claims of providing unbiased coverage in approximately 100 countries, these organizations have often been viewed as vehicles of U.S. propaganda.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
The cash-strapped broadcaster will obtain a part of a grant that was previously withheld by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. Agency for Global Media will release the funds, which cover the period from March 1 to 14, right before Trump signed an executive order that effectively dismantled U.S. Agency for Global Media operations.
Kari Lake, a Trump-appointed special adviser to USAGM, has expressed her commitment to reduce the agency to its smallest legally allowable size, labeling it “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer” and contending that it is “not salvageable.” She has also alleged various irregularities within the agency, claiming to have identified “massive national security violations” along with reports of infiltration by spies and terrorist sympathizers.
RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus commented, “We hope the imminent disbursement of two weeks’ worth of funding that Congress appropriated to RFE/RL will keep our lights on until the court rules on the broader case.” He emphasized that it is “unlawful to deny us the funds that Congress has already appropriated to RFE/RL for the rest of this fiscal year.”
On the other hand, Abigail Stout, a U.S. Justice Department lawyer representing the USAGM, argued that the agency is within its rights to terminate the grant if RFE/RL violates the provisions of the International Broadcasting Act, stating, “The statute actually contemplates that the agency could terminate a grant.”
Originally established in the early 1950s as part of a CIA initiative, Radio Free Europe transmitted pro-Western propaganda to Eastern Bloc countries, while Radio Liberty focused on delivering content to the Soviet Union. The two entities merged into a single organization in the 1970s. USAGM currently oversees various U.S. state-funded international media platforms, including RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and other nonprofit outlets funded by the U.S. budget. Despite their claims of providing unbiased coverage in approximately 100 countries, these organizations have often been viewed as vehicles of U.S. propaganda.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
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