Radio Free Asia halts production after US government funding ceases, impacting coverage of China and other Asian nations without independent media
WASHINGTON: Radio Free Asia will halt all news production effective Friday after the United States government ceased its funding.
The broadcaster had already laid off or furloughed more than 90% of its staff following funding cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration in March.
RFA’s closure coincides with Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as he seeks improved relations with Beijing.
Some of Trump’s earlier budget cuts were successfully challenged in court, but a new halt in funding occurred due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
This marks the first time RFA has ceased production since it began broadcasting in 1996.
President and CEO Bay Fang stated the remaining funds would now be allocated for severance packages for the formally terminated staff.
“Our strategy all along has been to protect our people for as long as possible,” she told AFP.
Fang indicated that RFA, now free from the legal constraints of US government funding, is actively seeking new revenue streams to resume operations.
“We’re trying to preserve what we would need to start back up,” Fang said.
“I do feel like it’s a fight against the clock. We have to get this funding as quickly as possible,” she added.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has managed to survive partly due to support pledges from European governments led by the Czech Republic.
Voice of America, which was directly part of the US government, halted operations immediately after the Trump cuts.
Radio Free Asia has long been a source of frustration for Beijing, which accuses it of spreading false news.
Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, previously described action against RFA as truly gratifying.
Trump has consistently criticised media outlets and questioned why the government should fund potentially unfavourable coverage.
The broadcaster’s shutdown occurs just as Trump holds his first second-term meeting with Xi Jinping.
Closing RFA is seen as a gift to dictators like Xi Jinping, particularly when Beijing tightly controls national narratives.
Sophie Richardson, co-executive director of the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, highlighted the timing of this decision.
Richardson noted that Trump has also terminated funding for non-governmental groups documenting developments within China.
She anticipates that certain topics may become harder to research or verify without RFA’s reporting capabilities.
RFA confirmed that China has already begun using transmission signals vacated by the outlet.
Beijing has increased its own broadcasting in Uyghur and Tibetan languages following RFA’s decline.
Radio Free Asia operated a rare Uyghur-language service independent of Beijing’s influence.
The outlet was at the forefront of reporting on mass detention camps for Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.
RFA recently won two Edward R. Murrow Awards for its series on young people in Myanmar after the 2021 coup.
The broadcaster laid off its stringers in Myanmar just before a devastating earthquake in March.
Despite these cuts, RFA saw social media engagement skyrocket during the earthquake as it remained a primary news source.
RFA spokesman Rohit Mahajan described the outlet as the last man standing for many communities.
“We’re able to be that voice, that news, in that language, reporting on things like the weather and not just political insurrection or political dealings,” he said. – AFP
