![\"Oxegen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/534af5f7c9cb6a8d3feb399185964ca4.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nAlternative rock band REM have re-released their debut single Radio Free Europe to raise funds for the pro-democracy media outlet.<\/p>\n
The original single, about US government-funded media service Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty (RFE\/RL), was released by the Grammy-winning band in 1981.<\/p>\n
A remixed version is included in five-track benefit EP, Radio Free Europe 2025, released a day before World Press Freedom Day, which acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
REM\u2019s Michael Stipe on stage performing (Niall Carson\/PA)<\/p>\n
It comes after attempts by the administration of US president Donald Trump to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and RFE\/RL, which were designed to model independent news gathering globally in societies that restrict the press.<\/p>\n
Lead singer of REM Michael Stipe said: \u201cWhether it\u2019s music or a free press \u2013 censorship anywhere is a threat to the truth everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn World Press Freedom Day, I\u2019m sending a shoutout to the brave journalists at Radio Free Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bassist Mike Mills added: \u201cRadio Free Europe\u2019s journalists have been pissing off dictators for 75 years. You know you\u2019re doing your job when you make the right enemies.<\/p>\n
\u201cHappy World Press Freedom Day to the \u2018OG\u2019 Radio Free Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
RFE\/RL president and chief executive Stephen Capus said: \u201cTo me, REM\u2019s music has always embodied a celebration of freedom: freedom of expression, lyrics that make us think, and melodies that inspire action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are the very aims of our journalists at Radio Free Europe \u2014 to inform, inspire, and uphold freedoms often elusive to our audiences. We hold dictators accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey go to great lengths to silence us\u2014blocking our websites, jamming our signals, and even imprisoning our colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n
In April, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore 12 million dollars (\u00a39 million) that Congress appropriated for RFE\/RL.<\/p>\n
RFE\/RL started broadcasting during the Cold War. Its programmes are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Its corporate headquarters are in Washington, and its journalistic headquarters are in the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n
In 2009, Radio Free Europe was inducted into the Library of Congress\u2019s National Recording Registry, which maintains and preserves sound recordings.<\/p>\n
Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mills and Stipe were behind numerous alt-rock hits such as Everybody Hurts and It\u2019s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).<\/p>\n
Last year, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and reunited at the ceremony in New York City where they performed an acoustic version of Losing My Religion.<\/p>\n
In September 2011, the band announced they had \u201cdecided to call it a day as a band\u201d.<\/p>\n
Their final studio album, Collapse Into Now, had been released in March of that year.<\/p>\n
Radio Free Europe 2025 EP tracklist:<\/strong><\/p>\n Radio Side:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Radio Free Europe 2025 (Jacknife Lee\u00a0Remix)*<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Radio Free Dub (Mitch Easter 1981\u00a0Remix)*<\/p>\n Liberty Side:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single)<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sitting Still (Original Hib-Tone B-Side)<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Wh. Tornado (From Cassette Set)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alternative rock band REM have re-released their debut single Radio Free Europe to raise funds for the pro-democracy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68847,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5174],"tags":[34592,32,18904,2000,299,5187,34593,34590,34591],"class_list":["post-68846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-eu","tag-alternative-rock-band","tag-donald-trump","tag-eastern-europe","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european","tag-michael-stipe","tag-radio-free-europe","tag-world-press-freedom-day"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114439198179392742","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68846\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}