It’s been almost two months since President Trump placed the employees of Voice of America on leave, shutting down a government-owned international news agency he has decried as broadcasting “radical propaganda.”
At the heart of Trump’s assault is a disagreement with the VOA’s long tradition of sharing coverage of both the United States’ successes and failures, a philosophy that the agency has long defended as critical to building trust with international audiences.
The VOA is prohibited from broadcasting in the U.S., so many Americans are not familiar with the agency’s journalism. In this interview, we asked Jessica Jerreat, editor of the VOA’s press-freedom desk, to explain the agency’s mission and its impact worldwide.
This video was a collaboration between the Free Speech Center and the American Society for News Excellence.
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