Journalists Battle to Keep Voice of America Alive

September 18, 2025 – USA –

Voice of America, the United States’ largest international broadcaster, is fighting for survival after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 to dismantle it. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined the legal fight to overturn the decision, standing alongside VoA journalists Patsy Widakuswara, the network’s White House bureau chief, and Jessica Jerreat, its press freedom editor. Both women were placed on leave as the crisis deepened, but they remain determined to defend the broadcaster’s mission.

For more than eight decades, VoA has been a critical source of news for audiences living under censorship or authoritarian rule. In 2024 alone, the broadcaster reached an estimated 361 million people in 49 languages, delivering independent journalism to countries such as Russia, China, and Iran where state propaganda dominates. It’s sudden dismantling, Widakuswara warns, would silence one of the few trusted outlets offering a counterbalance to disinformation.

Widakuswara, who first worked for VoA’s Indonesian service, has spoken out about the importance of preserving editorial independence at a time when press freedoms are under attack worldwide. Jerreat, who joined VoA in March 2020, stresses that the broadcaster’s credibility is rooted in its 83 years of earned trust. She argues that once destroyed, such credibility cannot easily be rebuilt.

Both journalists believe VoA fills a unique space among global broadcasters. While the BBC or Germany’s Deutsche Welle also operate internationally, they lack VoA’s scale, its regional bureaus, and its deep reliance on native-language reporters. By combining local knowledge with strict editorial standards, VoA provides coverage unavailable anywhere else.

RSF’s involvement in the lawsuit highlights international concern. Without VoA, entire regions risk losing one of the last platforms offering free and balanced reporting. This vacuum, experts warn, would likely be filled by authoritarian state media.

Despite the uncertainty, Widakuswara and Jerreat remain hopeful. They see the fight not only as a battle to preserve one institution, but as a stand for journalism itself. The case’s outcome will determine whether VoA continues to be a global lifeline for free information — or whether millions lose access to one of the few independent voices left.

Reference – 

https://rsf.org/en/meet-journalists-fighting-save-voice-america