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Russia Today
22-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
EU hands US state media outlet €5.5 million lifeline
The European Union has pledged €5.5 million in emergency funding to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to prop up the Cold War-era broadcaster, which is widely regarded as a Western propaganda outlet. Originally created in the 1950s and covertly financed by the CIA to disseminate pro-Western narratives into the Soviet bloc, RFE/RL has more recently operated under the oversight of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order eliminating most of the agency's funding as part of a sweeping cost-cutting agenda. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the bloc's financial lifeline on Tuesday, describing it as 'short-term emergency funding' to support what she called a 'vital' mission. The €5.5 million package will act as a 'safety net' to help RFE/RL maintain operations in countries within Brussels's sphere of interest, including Russia, Belarus, Iran, and several Central Asian states. 'In a time of growing unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever,' Kallas said following a meeting of EU foreign ministers. She acknowledged that Brusssels could not fully replace the lost American funding but emphasized the symbolic value of the move, urging individual member states to offer further support. Since Trump's defunding order, RFE/RL has furloughed staff, suspended programming, and launched legal challenges. Although a Washington judge temporarily halted the administration's decision in April, a federal appeals court later blocked the release of funds pending further litigation. The broadcaster has warned that it faces permanent shutdown in multiple regions if its financial crisis is not resolved. The Trump administration framed the defunding as part of a broader campaign to dismantle bureaucratic institutions that no longer align with US strategic interests. RFE/RL's leadership has disputed that rationale, with its president, Stephen Capus, calling the funding cuts a 'massive gift to America's enemies.' Administration officials and critics have argued that RFE/RL and its sister outlet, Voice of America (VOA), have lost their relevance and veered toward partisan editorializing. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has publicly called for both outlets to be 'shut down,' writing on X: 'Nobody listens to them anymore.'
Russia Today
22-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
EU hands underfire US state media €5.5 million
The European Union has pledged €5.5 million in emergency funding to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to prop up the Cold War-era broadcaster widely regarded as a Western propaganda outlet. Originally created in the 1950s and covertly financed by the CIA to disseminate pro-Western narratives into the Soviet bloc, RFE/RL has more recently operated under the oversight of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order eliminating most of the agency's funding as part of a sweeping cost-cutting agenda. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the bloc's financial lifeline on Tuesday, describing it as 'short-term emergency funding' to support what she called a 'vital' mission. The €5.5 million package will act as a 'safety net' to help RFE/RL maintain operations in countries within Brussels's sphere of interest, including Russia, Belarus, Iran, and several Central Asian states. 'In a time of growing unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever,' Kallas said following a meeting of EU foreign ministers. She acknowledged that the EU could not fully replace the lost American funding but emphasized the symbolic value of the move, urging individual member states to offer further support. Since Trump's defunding order, RFE/RL has furloughed staff, suspended programming, and launched legal challenges. Although a Washington judge temporarily halted the administration's decision in April, a federal appeals court later blocked the release of funds pending further litigation. The broadcaster has warned that it faces permanent shutdown in multiple regions if its financial crisis is not resolved. The Trump administration framed the defunding as part of a broader campaign to dismantle bureaucratic institutions that no longer align with US strategic interests. RFE/RL's leadership has disputed that rationale, with its president, Stephen Capus, calling the funding cuts a 'massive gift to America's enemies.' Administration officials and critics have argued that RFE/RL and its sister outlet, Voice of America (VOA), have lost their relevance and veered toward partisan editorializing. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has publicly called for both outlets to be 'shut down,' writing on X: 'Nobody listens to them anymore.'
Times of Oman
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
EU releases funding to keep Radio Free Europe afloat
Brussels: The European Union is providing €;5.5 million ($6.2 million) to support Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) after the broadcaster lost US public funding. US President Donald Trump's administration suspended funding to the 75-year-old broadcaster in March, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with liberal bias. But on Tuesday, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc is releasing the emergency funding as a "safety net for independent journalism." What did the EU say? Kallas addressed the significance of Radio Free Europe in resisting authoritarian regimes. Founded during the Cold War, the broadcaster's aim was to deliver news to people under communist rule. Kallas spoke about tuning in to Radio Free Europe during her childhood in Estonia, part of the former Soviet Union. "Coming from the other side of the Iron Curtain, actually it was [from] the radio that we got a lot of information," she said. "So, it has been a beacon of democracy, very valuable in this regard." What is the significance of the EU funding? Kallas said the procured funds would not be able to support all of Radio Free Europe's 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. It will, however, focus on countries in regions such as Central Asia and the Caucasus. "In a time of growing unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever," Kallas told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. The EU funds would help the broadcaster "work and function in those countries that are in our neighborhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside." Radio Free Europe's lawyers have challenged the decision to cut their funding in court. A US District Court judge placed a temporary pause on Trump's order to terminate grants to multiple publicly-funded outlets including Radio Free Europe, but a federal appeals court blocked the ruling this month.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
EU steps in to save Radio Free Europe with $6.2m emergency fund after Trump cuts
The European Union agreed Tuesday to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War. Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Its lawyers have been fighting the administration in court. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc's foreign ministers had agreed to a 5.5-million-euro ($6.2 million) contract to 'support the vital work of Radio Free Europe.' The 'short-term emergency funding' is a 'safety net' for independent journalism, she said. Kallas said the EU would not be able to fill the organization's funding gap around the world, but that it can help the broadcaster to 'work and function in those countries that are in our neighborhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside.' She said that she hoped the 27 EU member countries would also provide more funds to help Radio Free Europe longer term. Kallas said the bloc has been looking for 'strategic areas' where it can help as the United States cuts foreign aid. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's corporate headquarters are in Washington and its journalistic headquarters are based in the Czech Republic, which has been leading the EU drive to find funds. Last month, a U.S. federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore $12 million that was appropriated by Congress. Lawyers for the service, which has been operating for 75 years, said it would be forced to shut down in June without the money. In March, Kallas recalled the influence that the network had on her as she was growing up in Estonia, which was part of the Soviet Union. 'Coming from the other side of the Iron Curtain, actually it was (from) the radio that we got a lot of information,' she said. 'So, it has been a beacon of democracy, very valuable in this regard.'
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU to give Radio Free Europe 5.5 million euros after Trump funding freeze
BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) - The European Union will donate 5.5 million euros ($6.2 million) to support Radio Free Europe following a freeze on U.S. federal grants to the media outlet by the Trump administration, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. The financial pledge comes after Trump ordered the termination of grants in March as part of sweeping efforts to downsize the U.S. government. Critics said the move could devastate a rare source of reliable news in authoritarian countries. A U.S. District Court judge placed a temporary pause on the termination order but a federal appeals court this month blocked the ruling. "In a time of growing unfiltered content, independent journalism is more important than ever," Kallas told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "This will support the vital work of Radio Free Europe," she said, describing the move as "short-term emergency funding" to provide a "safety net" for independent journalism. Radio Free Europe was not immediately available for comment. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was set up during the Cold War to reach people in communist-run states. The Prague-based outlet still broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine. The Czech Republic, as the media outlet's host country, has been pushing for Europe to find funds to keep it going. "Our aim is to keep the mission, and the mission is providing free and fair information to societies in Russia, Belarus, Iran,' Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told Reuters after the ministers' meeting. Sweden said earlier this month it would donate 20 million crowns ($2.07 million) to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, saying the U.S. decision meant people in many countries risked losing access to free media. ($1 = 0.8868 euros) ($1 = 9.6523 Swedish crowns)
