The silencing of Voice of America
It now broadcasts in nearly 50 languages to more than 350 million people around the world.
But in March this year, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order dismantling the US Agency for Global Media - the independent government body that oversees Voice of America.
Now, Voice of America has been silenced for the first time in 83 years.
Guests:
Patsy Widakuswara is Voice of America's White House Bureau Chief and lead plaintiff in VOA's legal case against the Trump Administration.
Dr Nick Cull is Professor of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, Annenberg, and he specialises in the historic role of communication in foreign policy.
Dr Kate Wright is Associate Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Edinburgh and co-author of Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America by Kate Wright, Martin Scott & Mel Bunce
Produced and presented by Kirsti Melville
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Russia says European talks on Ukraine security an escalation and 'road to nowhere'
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SBS Australia
13 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Key obstacles still leave peace in Ukraine out of reach
The diplomatic process pushing for an end to Europe's bloodiest war since World War Two is picking up steam after talks between United States President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But with key obstacles - including the control of Ukraine's eastern territories and post-war security guarantees - left up in the air, the path towards a peace deal remains unclear. Associate Professor Matthew Sussex, of ANU's Centre for European Studies, says the meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was a marked improvement over their stand-off in the White House back in February. "It was very, very different to what happened when Zelenskyy was effectively ambushed by Trump and by Vance, and told that he wasn't grateful enough and effectively that he was a dictator. This time you had a phalanx of Europe's most powerful leaders ringed around Trump's desk to show that Ukraine this time was bringing friends and has lots of them. 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In an effort to sweeten the deal, the Ukrainian leader has offered to commit to purchase almost AU$140 billion in US weapons in exchange for help with deterring further Russian aggression. The Trump administration says the President has directed his national security team to work with European allies on these security guarantees. The President says the US may offer air support but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine. "The president has definitively stated US boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies. The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well." 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The other key issue that remains to be addressed is the possibility of a land swap, or the ceding of Ukraine's eastern regions to Russian control. Ukraine has firmly rejected surrendering any of their territory to Russia and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says they cannot be forced to make such a concession. "The Russian demand that Kyiv should give up the free parts of the Donbas is comparable, to put it in perspective, to a proposal that the US should have to give up Florida. A sovereign state cannot simply make such a decision. This is a decision that Ukraine must make itself during the course of negotiations." Dr Jessica Genauer, a foreign affairs expert at Flinders University, says it is incredibly unlikely that President Putin will budge on handing back territory captured throughout the war. "They've managed to take military control over up to about 20 per cent of Ukrainian land and they've actually passed something into Russian law. 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While questions remain, US President Trump says he is now working to set up a bi- or trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war as quickly as possible. "I'll set up a meeting with President Putin. And if you'd like, I will go to that meeting. And not that I want to do that, but I will do that because we want to save a lot people from dying. A lot of people are dying and we've got to save them."
News.com.au
14 hours ago
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Vienna chosen to host Eurovision 2026
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