Just in: Trump sacks over 600 workers at Voice of America

DDM News

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has terminated the appointments of over 600 employees at Voice of America (VOA), the country’s iconic international broadcaster.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the mass sack affected not just journalists but staff across VOA and its parent body, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), in what insiders described as a deliberate attempt to dismantle the institution.

The layoffs, which began Friday, reportedly impacted at least 639 employees.

Those targeted included journalists from the Persian-language division, who had only recently been recalled from administrative leave to resume broadcasts to Iran.

However, their return was abruptly cut short.

Sources inside the agency disclosed that three journalists who briefly stepped out for a cigarette were barred from re-entering the premises after their badges were confiscated.

Altogether, over 1,400 employees, representing around 85 percent of the VOA and USAGM workforce, have been dismissed since March, according to Kari Lake, a senior Trump adviser at the agency.

Lake, a former journalist and now a key Trump loyalist, justified the decision as a “radical cleanup” of what she claimed was a “corrupt and inefficient media system.”

“For decades, American taxpayers have been forced to bankroll an agency riddled with dysfunction, bias, and waste,” she said in a strongly worded statement. “That ends now.”

Voice of America was established during World War II as a counter-propaganda arm against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.

The service later evolved into a Cold War tool, challenging Soviet misinformation and championing democratic ideals through global multilingual broadcasts.

For many in repressive regimes, VOA became the only reliable source of uncensored news.

Under Trump’s administration, however, that legacy is under threat.

Critics argue that the mass firings are part of Trump’s broader war against independent journalism and public media.

They point to concurrent efforts to defund PBS and NPR, both public broadcasters that have faced budget cuts and legislative attacks.

Many VOA staff had been on administrative leave since March 15.

During this time, they were forbidden from publishing on social media or continuing their broadcasts.

Among the affected are three journalists currently involved in a lawsuit against the administration over what they describe as the unlawful dismantling of VOA.

All three reportedly received termination notices on Friday.

The effects of the purge have already rippled across Africa.

In April, VOA’s broadcasts mysteriously went dark across Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, and parts of Cameroon.

In their place, haunting instrumental music played for hours, prompting fears and wild speculations among regular listeners.

“People started calling in, worried that there had been a coup in America,” recalled Babangida Jibrin, a former reporter with VOA’s now-discontinued Hausa-language service.

The Hausa service, once a trusted voice across Nigeria’s insurgency-affected North, played a crucial role in delivering reliable information in regions where local media are heavily restricted.

Moussa Jaharou, a listener from southern Niger, described the station’s sudden silence as a “deliberate silencing of the poor.”

He noted that many communities lacked reliable internet, making VOA’s shortwave radio their only link to international news.

“These people are now completely cut off from the world,” he lamented.

The Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs have ignited protests across the United States.

Under the campaign “Hands Off!”, more than 1,100 rallies are expected to be held this weekend across all 50 states.

The protests are in response not only to the VOA purge but also to broader concerns over the administration’s restructuring of public institutions.

Notably, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been accused of advising the Trump team on the federal overhaul, sparking further outrage.

Major organisations including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the Service Employees International Union are backing the protests.

In a joint statement, the coalition accused the Trump camp of attempting to gut essential public services like Social Security, Medicaid, and public education, while silencing global journalism platforms.

For longtime VOA staff and global listeners alike, the mass firing represents a severe blow to press freedom.

Many believe the closure of VOA’s international services, especially in underserved regions, amounts to a form of strategic censorship.

“This is not just about jobs,” said Jibrin. “It’s about the right to be informed.”

Observers worry that these actions, if unchallenged, could set a dangerous precedent for media suppression, both within the United States and globally.

International press freedom groups are also monitoring the situation closely.

Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the International Press Institute have condemned the sackings and are calling for urgent congressional intervention.

As tensions mount, pressure is building on the U.S. Congress to investigate the Trump administration’s decision and consider halting further rollbacks of media infrastructure.

Many Americans are now asking whether a former president should have this level of influence over federal agencies, particularly those with international mandates.

For millions of Africans and others around the globe who relied on VOA for trustworthy news, the signal has not just gone silent, it has been forcibly switched off.

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