USA: journalists endangered as 75 per cent of Radio Free Asia’s US staff furloughed due to Trump executive order
Seventy-five per cent of the US-based staff at the government-funded, editorially independent news service Radio Free Asia (RFA) were put on administrative leave due to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump a week earlier dismantling the administrative body that funds RFA, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the decision, which directly endangers RFA staff abroad and could potentially lead to the deportation of 30 journalists based in the US, some of whom risk persecution in their home countries.
On 21 March 2025, Radio Free Asia announced that it is furloughing 75 per cent of its US-based staff, keeping only the minimum amount of personnel needed to maintain its operations abroad. According to RFA, this follows the executive order signed by Donald Trump on 14 March terminating federal grants for USAGM, effectively gutting the federal agency that funds vital independent media outlets, including RFA. The elimination of USAGM funding has also led to the abrupt cancellation of all RFA’s work with international contractors. Only the international bureaus of RFA in cities such as Seoul, Taipei and Bangkok remain active — although the situation could change dramatically at any moment. The drastic reduction of funding could eventually cause RFA to close completely.
According to information RSF was given by RFA, a number of the outlet’s staff have visas dependent on their employment status, and a potential RFA shutdown could lead to their forced return to countries where they face dangerous reprisals for their journalism. At least 30 journalists in the US are citizens of countries and territories such as Cambodia, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
“The Trump administration's regrettable, incomprehensible decision is a gigantic gift for authoritarian regimes in places like China and North Korea, which have been trying to censor independent information for years. Closing Radio Free Asia could turn these countries into complete information black holes. RSF calls on US Congress and international stakeholders to mobilise against this appalling move. The NGO stands in solidarity with RFA employees and is very concerned about the fate of three RFA journalists detained in Vietnam.
The singular, vital reporting of Radio Free Asia
RFA has been crucial in uncovering stories in China, where the regime has intensified its crackdown on independent media in recent years and at least 120 journalists are currently behind bars. RFA was the first to alert the world to the mass incarcerations of Uyghurs and kept the world informed about human rights violations in Tibet, despite the Chinese-controlled territory’s reputation as an information black hole.
RFA journalists report from around the world, often risking their lives and freedom to keep the public informed. Three Vietnamese freelance journalists who worked with the outlet are currently detained: Truong Duy Nhat, sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2020; Nguyen Tuong Thuy, sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2021; and Nguyen Lan Thang, sentenced to 6 years in custody in 2023.
Since 1996, Radio Free Asia has been providing reliable, independent local news on a weekly basis to millions of readers who lack access to free press. Their reporters cover a wide range of topics — many of which are censored in state propaganda media, which dominate certain countries where the outlet operates — in 9 local languages, including Chinese, Uyghur, Tibetan and Vietnamese. Even though repressive regimes often try to block public access to the outlet, RFA experienced historic growth in online engagement in 2024, amassing 257 million website views, a nearly 20 per cent increase from 2023.
Donald Trump’s executive order also dismantled the USAGM-funded, editorially independent outlet Voice of America (VOA). On 21 March, RSF joined VOA employees and their unions in filing a legal complaint against the USAGM as well as USAGM Senior Advisor Kari Lake and Acting CEO Victor Morales.
