Chinese state media is applauding President Trump’s decision over the weekend to shutter the government agency that oversees Voice of America.
“The so-called beacon of freedom, VOA, has now been discarded by its own government like a dirty rag,” the Chinese Global Times wrote in an editorial published this week, calling it “a frontline propaganda tool in the ideological confrontation of the Cold War.”
“When it comes to China-related reporting, VOA has an appalling track record,” the outlet wrote. “Perhaps the US government has also realized that continuing to waste substantial national funds on these outdated and ineffective institutions is neither meaningful nor in the best interest of the country.”
Trump over the weekend signed an executive order that called for the scaling down of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which presides over VOA.
As a result, hundreds of VOA journalists were placed on administrative leave and told not to continue reporting.
The administration’s move shocked staffers at the outlet and has sparked widespread condemnation from press freedom organizations and others in the international community.
