The muzzling of US-funded global media – Silencing America’s voice to the world speaks volumes about what America is becoming.

6 comments

1. >The networks being gutted aren’t “spreading radical propaganda” as President Trump has claimed—they’re strategic assets that have advanced American interests and values for generations. Voice of America was launched in 1942 specifically to counter Nazi propaganda. Radio Free Europe helped pierce the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Radio Free Asia has exposed China’s persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. These networks reach 420 million people in 63 languages across more than 100 countries.

   >Consider what happens when they go dark:

   >In authoritarian states like Russia, Iran, and North Korea, millions lose access to reliable information about the outside world—including accurate reporting about the United States. As Stephen Capus, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, [**put it:**](https://about.rferl.org/article/rfe-rl-president-defunding-would-be-massive-gift-to-americas-enemies/) “The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years.”

2. You know, let’s say for argument’s sake that this is an American propaganda agency, why would Trump dismantle it? Is this a 4-D chess move where cutting your soft power will make you more agreeable to the liberal crowd? Is this an order from the Kremlin? Is it government efficiency?

   My own opinion is that it’s an ask from an adversary or a show of goodwill towards an adversary. The latter, not necessarily a bad thing as long as there’s progress that’s beneficial.

   However, I sincerely doubt the proper analysis for this decision was done.

3. It’s not the “what” that matters here. It is the “why” and the “who.” I don’t really care about VOA much, but I’m extremely leery of this decision regardless.

   >The networks being gutted aren’t “spreading radical propaganda” as President Trump has claimed—they’re strategic assets that have advanced American interests and values for generations. 

   It’s possible to be both. In fact, this is the idea.

   VOA (and similar) *is* a cold war relic. During WWII, radio broadcasts were used for wartime propaganda. A way of reaching people in Nazi-occupied Europe. For anti-nazis, this was a source of news from outside the nazi bubble… and a message of solidarity. For nazi supporters, this was a source of news from outside the nazi bubble… and a message of intimidation.

   When WWII ended and the Cold War began, VOA (also radio free europe and others) did anti-communist propaganda. Like , the primary reason for its potency was that it broke the communists’ media and information monopoly. The more unreliable and obviously dishonest state media became, the more external broadcasts got popular.

   So… this is propaganda by definition. It’s also radical by definition. The goal (which succeeded) was to cause an eventual anti-communist revolution. Western media influence (including rock music and cowboy movies) getting into the USSR and Eastern Block were key factors in its demise.

   ***Putin hates VOA***. It was his enemy as a KGB agent of the USSR. He hates it now, as he struggles to control information about his war. Russia has reinstated version of old soviet practices, and criminalized dissent.

   ***The CCP also hates VOA***. They also control information and media jealously. Hence the great firewall. They also now how the USSR crashed.

   **Recently, the populists right** started hating VOA because it blasts “liberal, western values.” The convergence of all these is some nasty shit.

   Everyone so bust calling DT a fascist they forgot to notice that he’s even more of a communist.

4. bahahahhahahq

5. I hope people realize that VOA was a complete meme to anyone outside of the US, similar to how we view RT. Frankly I don’t care if it “weakens” US soft power, it was overt American propaganda and it’s a net positive that it’s gone.

6. My propaganda is better than yours

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