Radio Free Asia, a prominent broadcaster of uncensored news from Asia, has been forced to suspend its operations due to the US government shutdown and significant cuts by the Trump administration. The decision marks a drastic shift for the organization, which has been reporting on China and other Asian countries without independent media since its founding nearly three decades ago.
The suspension comes as RFA's funding has been dwindling, with the administration labeling the news services as poorly run and wasteful. However, according to Bay Fang, RFA's president and CEO, the organization is being forced to take drastic measures to conserve resources and preserve the possibility of restarting operations in the future.
RFA will begin shutting down its overseas bureaus, laying off staff members who have been on unpaid leave since last March, and paying severance. While this move may seem drastic, Fang believes it positions RFA for a potential resurgence in the future when funding becomes available.
The closure of RFA has sent shockwaves among human rights advocates, with some hailing it as a "gift to dictators like Xi Jinping." Sophie Richardson, co-executive director of the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, described the move as a loss for freedom of information in Asia.
In contrast, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/Radio Liberty), another US government-funded news service, has decided to stay operational despite receiving its last federal funding in September. RFE/Radio Liberty plans to continue reaching its audiences, operating on reserves and taking cost-cutting measures.
Voice of America, which provides news about the United States to international audiences, has effectively ceased operations due to the government shutdown. Some employees have sued to block the administration's plans.
The differing approaches by RFA and RFE/Radio Liberty remain unclear, with some speculating that their governance structures and labor laws may play a role in their decisions.
The suspension comes as RFA's funding has been dwindling, with the administration labeling the news services as poorly run and wasteful. However, according to Bay Fang, RFA's president and CEO, the organization is being forced to take drastic measures to conserve resources and preserve the possibility of restarting operations in the future.
RFA will begin shutting down its overseas bureaus, laying off staff members who have been on unpaid leave since last March, and paying severance. While this move may seem drastic, Fang believes it positions RFA for a potential resurgence in the future when funding becomes available.
The closure of RFA has sent shockwaves among human rights advocates, with some hailing it as a "gift to dictators like Xi Jinping." Sophie Richardson, co-executive director of the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, described the move as a loss for freedom of information in Asia.
In contrast, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/Radio Liberty), another US government-funded news service, has decided to stay operational despite receiving its last federal funding in September. RFE/Radio Liberty plans to continue reaching its audiences, operating on reserves and taking cost-cutting measures.
Voice of America, which provides news about the United States to international audiences, has effectively ceased operations due to the government shutdown. Some employees have sued to block the administration's plans.
The differing approaches by RFA and RFE/Radio Liberty remain unclear, with some speculating that their governance structures and labor laws may play a role in their decisions.
the fact that rfa is being forced to shut down due to funding issues but rfe/rl is choosing to stay operational is kinda sus... like, if rfe/rl can keep going without federal funding, shouldn't rfa be able to figure out a way too? 
and what's with the "gift to dictators" comment? it's not like xi Jinping is gonna just magically start respecting human rights because rfa shuts down 
I'm really disappointed about this news... Radio Free Asia has been a vital source of uncensored info for us in Asia 
. Now it's being forced to shut down due to the US government shutdown 
. It's not just RFA, but also Voice of America is affected 
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. I mean, who would have thought that US-funded news services could be so different from each other? 
. Sophie Richardson's comment about it being a "gift to dictators like Xi Jinping" is spot on 
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. Now, it's hard to imagine that there won't be huge gaps in coverage and news that might not reach certain parts of Asia 
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... we need organizations like these to hold governments accountable and keep us informed about what's happening around the world 
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this is super bad news 
. RFA has been a beacon of truth for so long, now they're being forced to shut down because the US government doesn't want them to tell the story 
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, who are willing to take risks to tell important stories 
it's like they took away china's favorite guilty pleasure show 
that's just sad, it's like the us government forgot about the world outside their borders 
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. The fact that RFE/Radio Liberty is staying operational on reserves while RFA is shutting down is just so unfair 
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. Although, what's up with Voice of America just shutting down for real? 
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! I was on this amazing road trip across America, and we stopped at the most beautiful beaches in California... anyway, back to RFA... it's so sad to see them go 
It's, like, game-changing! I've been putting it on everything - oatmeal, smoothies, even using it as a face mask 
. Okay, focus... RFA... yeah, it's just really weird to me how they're being forced to shut down while RFE/Radio Liberty is still operational.
. I'm like, "Dude, you're so lucky to have that kind of gear!" And then we started discussing the best camera settings for capturing those epic views... anyway, back to RFA... maybe this is a chance for them to regroup and come back even stronger? 
It's just another example of the US gov trying to exert its influence over independent media and stifle dissenting voices 
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and yeah, voice of america is like a ghost town now 
it's crazy how these orgs are handling this situation