On March 14, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to eliminate the USAGM, the parent organization of numerous independent news media outlets that provide vital journalism primarily to audiences in zones where press freedom is most threatened. The USAGM and its entities are editorially separate and independent from the government, and Trump’s order may haveviolated US law.
“Reporters Without Borders and the whole press freedom community stand in solidarity with the thousands of staffers across all of the USAGM platforms who were laid off. We are especially concerned about the fate of the nine journalists currently in jail who are detained for their journalism — which is not a crime. The United States Congress must step up to protect these reporters, and all of the USAGM entities which Congress itself created and funded.”
Clayton Weimers
Executive Director, RSF USA
Read the full letter below.