Latest news with #VoiceOfAmerica
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Trump's War On The Media Explained: Paramount Offered Trump $15 Million To Settle CBS Lawsuit
PBS sued President Donald Trump Friday to block him from cutting funding for the public television station, days after NPR also filed a lawsuit to stop the move. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, ... More on April 27, 2025. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) PBS and Lakeland PBS in Minnesota called the executive order Trump issued earlier this month directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a publicly funded nonprofit, to cease funding PBS and NPR an 'existential threat,' accusing Trump of overstepping his authority. Meanwhile, Trump and his companies have filed lawsuits against his media foes, his administration has elevated partisan right-wing voices in the White House press corps and sought to effectively shut down federally funded media outlets, including the international broadcaster Voice of America, among other tactics. Trump's new FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr also launched investigations into several outlets and warned publicly that a probe into CBS' interview with Harris last year could affect the network's pending multi-billion-dollar merger. Trump has also amped up his rhetoric to attack the press, calling pollsters for the New York Times, ABC News, the Washington Post and Fox News 'negative criminals' who should be 'investigated for ELECTION FRAUD' after the outlets have published surveys in the past week that show he has net negative approval ratings. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. Trump—who has feuded with CBS for years—sued the network for $20 billion, claiming it deceptively edited its '60 Minutes' interview with Harris after the network in a preview of her interview aired a different version of Harris' answer to a question than the one shown in the full program. In the preview, Harris gave a longer answer in response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war than the one aired during the full show. The network later released a full transcript of the interview that showed it ran the first sentence of her answer in the preview and the last sentence during the show, though the meaning of her response was largely the same. Trump is suing CBS as its parent company, Paramount, is seeking the Federal Communications Commission's approval of a multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance. Trump urged the FCC to revoke the network's broadcasting license last month over '60 Minutes' coverage of him, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has warned that the deceptive-editing allegations against CBS could become a factor in the FCC review of the merger. Meanwhile, Paramount and Trump began mediation talks earlier this month as Paramount owner Shari Redstone wants to settle with Trump, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources. The lawsuit has led to accusations from journalists that Paramount leadership has meddled in coverage of Trump, compromising their integrity. Wendy McMahon, president of CBS News and Stations, said she would step down Monday following a 'challenging' few months in which she and the company did 'not agree on the path forward,' ostensibly referring to the settlement talks. Longtime '60 Minutes' producer Bill Owens also left his post in April, citing waning editorial independence. Trump reportedly wants $25 million or more and an apology to settle the lawsuit, the Wall street Journal reported this week, citing an unnamed source. The Federal Trade Commission opened a probe in May into the liberal advocacy group, Media Matters for America, and whether it coordinated with other watchdogs to deter companies from advertising on Elon Musk's X, according to multiple reports. Musk is also suing Media Matters for defamation over a report it published about antisemitic content on X. Media Matters president Angela Carusone told Forbes in response to the probe 'the Trump administration has been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics. It's clear that's exactly what's happening here, given Media Matters' history of holding those same figures to account. These threats won't work; we remain steadfast to our mission." NPR also sued the Trump administration Tuesday to block its attempt to revoke federal funding for NPR and PBS. Trump signed an order May 2 to defund NPR and PBS and has said he'll ask Congress to revoke $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for NPR and PBS. The FCC also said it's opened investigations into NPR and PBS and whether they aired 'announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements,' Carr said in a letter to the organizations in January. Carr said the investigation could factor into Congress' decision on whether to continue funding the organizations. NPR said in a statement in a news article about the threat that the funding cut 'would have a devastating impact on American communities across the nation,' adding that 'locally owned public media stations represent a proud American tradition of public-private partnership for our shared common good.' PBS CEO and President Paual Kerger told NPR the move would 'disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people.' On April 29, the CPB sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Trump from removing three board members—two appointed by Biden and one appointed by Trump during his first term then reappointed by Biden—arguing the law that established the organization allows Trump to appoint board members, but not fire them. Carr has opened numerous investigations into media organizations and has echoed Trump's critical rhetoric of news coverage. 'We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans,' Carr tweeted prior to his appointment as FCC chair. He also warned that 'broadcast licenses are not sacred cows,' suggesting the commission could revoke licenses for companies that don't 'operate in the public interest,' and he threatened that the FCC could block merger proposals from companies that promote DEI. In addition to the NPR and PBS probes, Carr has announced investigations into Comcast's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and a San Francisco-based radio station's coverage of an immigration raid. Comcast said in a statement to the New York Post in response to the probe that it would cooperate with the investigation and built the company 'on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.' The FCC doesn't distribute and can't revoke licenses for entire networks and instead oversees licensing for their affiliated local broadcast channels. Cable networks, such as CNN and MSNBC, are not within its jurisdiction since they don't broadcast on public airwaves. Stations could fight any attempt to revoke their licenses in court, and laws that dictate their regulatory authority would make it highly unlikely, if not impossible, to pull a station's license. The FCC is prohibited, for example, from 'engaging in censorship or infringing on First Amendment rights of the press.' Licensing and merger decisions require the approval of the full commission, which is made up of the chair and four members appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms. One of the commission's two Democrats, Geoffrey Starks, announced last month he would resign this spring, and a third Republican seat is vacant. About one-third of Voice of America's workforce was terminated earlier this month, Kari Lake, senior adviser for the organization's parent company, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, told multiple outlets in a statement that said 'buckle up, there's more to come.' The move comes after Lake—a special adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, parent company for international broadcaster Voice of America—announced a 'partnership' earlier this month with the conservative One America News Network to broadcast its programs on USAGM networks, including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Martí and Voice of America. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on April 22 ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Network and rehire all staff, halting an executive order Trump signed in March to shut down the government-funded news organizations. Trump, claiming Voice of America was 'anti-Trump' and pushed 'radical propaganda,' revoked funding for the VOA and its parent company, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, prompting the organizations to place more than 1,300 employees and hundreds of contractors on leave. Lamberth, who is overseeing six lawsuits opposing the shutdown, ruled the move was likely unconstitutional since the organization was created by and is funded by Congress. On April 29, Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to reinstate $12 million in funding that had previously been appropriated to Radio Free Europe, saying in the ruling the Trump administration cannot take away money that Congress allocated, the Associated Press reported. The VOA, which has a budget of about $260 million annually and was formed in 1942 as a counter to Nazi propaganda, broadcasts in more than 40 languages to an international audience of more than 350 million. Radio Free Asia was formed in 1994 by the International Broadcasting Act and has a budget of about $61 million, and the Middle East Broadcasting Network was founded in 2004 and has a $100 million budget. The White House has attempted to bar the Associated Press from accessing some spaces, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, after it refused to rename the 'Gulf of Mexico' to the 'Gulf of America' in its style guide. The Associated Press then sued the Trump administration over the blockade, and Judge Trevor McFadden ruled in the AP's favor earlier this month, though Trump has appealed the ruling. The White House also eliminated a permanent spot in the press pool reserved for wire services and instead put the AP, Bloomberg and Reuters in a rotation for two 'print' slots, along with 31 other outlets. The Trump administration announced in February it would decide which journalists are allowed in the White House press pool, breaking a years-long tradition in which the independent White House Correspondents' Association coordinated the pool, made up of 13 journalists from a rotating group of outlets who travel with the president and share their reporting with other media outlets. The Trump administration has also set up a 'new media' seat in the briefing room that's offered to outlets that don't have a permanent spot, such as Forbes, though it often hosts non-traditional media such as podcast hosts and social media personalities. Trump and his companies have filed multiple lawsuits against media organizations prior to his winning a second term. Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company for Trump's Truth Social platform, filed a $1.5 billion lawsuit against 20 media organizations, including Forbes, The Guardian, Reuters, Axios and MSNBC, in November 2023, alleging they defamed him by incorrectly reporting that Truth Social lost $73 million from its launch in early 2022 through mid 2023. Many outlets, including Forbes, corrected their stories to say Truth Social had lost $31.6 million since its inception. In January 2023, Trump sued journalist Bob Woodward, publisher Simon & Schuster and parent company Paramount Global for nearly $50 million, claiming Woodward published recordings of his interviews with Trump for his book 'Rage' without Trump's permission. Trump in December also sued the Des Moines Register, its parent company, Gannett, and its former pollster, Ann Selzer, over a Selzer poll shortly before the election that found Trump would lose Iowa by three to four points, only for him to win the state by 13 points. Trump alleged the poll amounted to election interference and a violation of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. The paper and Selzer filed motions to dismiss the suit in February, and the Register alleged the law only applies to 'consumer merchandise,' and there's no evidence Trump ever purchased anything from the paper. Trump has had mixed results in his legal battles with the press. He settled with ABC News last year in a lawsuit Trump filed when anchor George Stephanopolos said Trump was found liable for 'rape' when a jury found him liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll. The network agreed to donate $15 million to Trump's presidential library and issue a statement of regret as part of the settlement. A judge in July 2023 dismissed a case he filed against CNN over its use of the term 'the big lie' to refer to his false claims he won the 2020 election and alleged comparisons between Trump and Hitler. F.C.C. Chair Orders Investigation Into NPR and PBS Sponsorships (New York Times) Which media companies has Donald Trump sued? (Reuters) '60 Minutes' Chief Resigns in Emotional Meeting: 'The Company Is Done With Me' (New York Times)
Reuters
6 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Termination notices for remaining Voice of America employees expected this week, Politico reports
WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - Termination notices are expected to go out to all remaining Voice of America employees this week, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing four unnamed VOA employees familiar with the situation.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Sally Brooks
A decision to align a far-right network with the Voice of America prompts concern, as Beijing-backed media continues to build its radio presence. 2h ago 2 hours ago Tue 27 May 2025 at 3:54am As the world watches tariff brinkmanship unfold between the US and China, analysts cast doubt on the US president's claim that the Chinese leader called him. Sun 27 Apr Sun 27 Apr Sun 27 Apr 2025 at 2:36am As leaders from around the world pay tribute to the late Pope Francis, China's President Xi Jinping has not offered his condolences. Wed 23 Apr Wed 23 Apr Wed 23 Apr 2025 at 3:39am Beijing says Donald Trump's tariffs will increase the divide between rich and poor nations, as countries across the region grapple with what to do next. Tue 8 Apr Tue 8 Apr Tue 8 Apr 2025 at 2:15am As Beijing silences mentions of the skyscraper building that collapsed in Bangkok, the Chinese company involved in the project faces mounting scrutiny in Thailand. Thu 3 Apr Thu 3 Apr Thu 3 Apr 2025 at 10:34pm When it comes to the battle of the sexes, new data shows women are still fighting much harder than men on the home front. Here's how some households split their chores. Sat 8 Mar Sat 8 Mar Sat 8 Mar 2025 at 11:00pm It had a meteoric rise to become the most downloaded shopping app worldwide in 2024, but Temu's expansion plans hit roadblocks in some South-East Asian countries. Fri 28 Feb Fri 28 Feb Fri 28 Feb 2025 at 12:23am Adult children who live with their parents share the pros and cons of living under one roof, and how they find harmony during Australia's housing crisis. Sat 22 Feb Sat 22 Feb Sat 22 Feb 2025 at 1:11am US President Donald Trump has cited a need to stop illegal fentanyl flowing into the country as a reason for new tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China. Will it work? Mon 3 Feb Mon 3 Feb Mon 3 Feb 2025 at 7:21am A decade ago the Chinese government announced plans to transform the country from "a low-cost manufacturing base into a high-tech superpower". Did it work? Tue 21 Jan Tue 21 Jan Tue 21 Jan 2025 at 6:46pm A series of brutal acid attacks has raised alarm in Indonesia, with women's advocates warning that chemicals have often been used as the weapon of choice when a man wanted to "retaliate" after a relationship ended. Sun 12 Jan Sun 12 Jan Sun 12 Jan 2025 at 9:03pm One of Australia's closest neighbours proposes 29 locations for nuclear power plants across the archipelago, but critics say the plan is "dangerous". Thu 26 Dec Thu 26 Dec Thu 26 Dec 2024 at 7:14pm A pristine island in Indonesia is under threat from Indonesia's nickel rush, with some women now having to walk for kilometres just to access clean water. But locals are fighting back. Tue 19 Dec Tue 19 Dec Tue 19 Dec 2023 at 4:21pm Chinese companies invest billions in Belt and Road nickel refining projects in Indonesia, but for people working on the frontline, conditions can be deadly. Mon 6 Nov Mon 6 Nov Mon 6 Nov 2023 at 11:02pm As Indonesia increases the use of electric vehicles at home, it also wants to partner with Australia as it strives to become a global EV hub. Sat 1 Jul Sat 1 Jul Sat 1 Jul 2023 at 10:36pm As universities grapple with the explosion in generative artificial intelligence, students share their views on the technology. Fri 9 Jun Fri 9 Jun Fri 9 Jun 2023 at 8:28pm International students say tools to detect AI-generated text are inaccurate, as a US study suggests the detectors are biased against people writing in English as a second language. Thu 1 Jun Thu 1 Jun Thu 1 Jun 2023 at 11:50pm In a federal court case that could clarify the employment rights of thousands of workers, the Fair Work Ombudsman is defending an accusation that an award classification is "erroneous". Thu 9 Mar Thu 9 Mar Thu 9 Mar 2023 at 6:50pm They fled war, left families, friends and their homes. But the "universal language" of dance helps connect these Ukrainians and give them a reason to be proud. Sat 25 Feb Sat 25 Feb Sat 25 Feb 2023 at 8:54pm Natural disasters and the pandemic have thrown a spotlight on how Victorian authorities engage with multicultural communities in a crisis. With the bushfire season underway, what's being done to prepare for the next emergency? Fri 13 Jan Fri 13 Jan Fri 13 Jan 2023 at 10:38pm One of Victoria's biggest Chinese community language schools is disputing allegations the school failed to correctly pay the wages and entitlements of 12 employees. Tue 20 Dec Tue 20 Dec Tue 20 Dec 2022 at 11:19pm This picture is said to show millions in cash arriving in Kabul. It's one of several images published by the Taliban-controlled central bank of Afghanistan in recent weeks that has some experts concerned. Sat 10 Dec Sat 10 Dec Sat 10 Dec 2022 at 10:04pm A group of Chinese language teachers allege they are owed unpaid wages and entitlements for work over decades due to a "grey area" of Victoria's education system. Fri 28 Oct Fri 28 Oct Fri 28 Oct 2022 at 10:45pm The Pacific looks set to benefit economically, but some island nations may also face "danger" to their democracies, after China's president cements his grip on the country's leadership. Fri 9 Dec Fri 9 Dec Fri 9 Dec 2022 at 5:24am Hongkongers in Melbourne and Sydney say billboards in the cities proclaiming Hong Kong has entered a "new era" of stability, prosperity and opportunity are humiliating and "very upsetting". Fri 12 Aug Fri 12 Aug Fri 12 Aug 2022 at 2:05am
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Trump ‘reckless' move to block Harvard's foreign students sparks outcry over threat to US soft power, global influence
WASHINGTON, May 25 — The Trump administration's attempt to block Harvard University, with its global reputation for academic excellence, from enrolling international students adds to a growing list of measures that risk severely undercutting American 'soft power.' A federal judge has placed a temporary hold on the Harvard ban. But the president's move was just part of a wider ideological battle he has waged against dozens of long-established programs designed to promote diversity and cooperation at home and abroad — and to expand US influence in the process. Trump has ordered deep cuts in foreign aid, cancelled or seriously scaled back university research programs — raising fears of a brain drain as top academics seek work abroad — and launched attacks on media, including by silencing the historic Voice of America. Then in early May, Trump threatened a 100 percent tariff on movies shown in the US but produced abroad. That would have, for instance, a devastating impact on films like Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' the biggest-budget American movie being shown at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It was filmed largely in Britain and South Africa. Trump has also attacked some of the country's most august cultural institutions, from the Smithsonian museums in Washington — which the Republican president accuses of 'ideological indoctrination' — to the capital's prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he has appointed himself chairman. The concept of 'soft power' was first enunciated in the 1980s by the late political scientist Joseph Nye, who defined it as a country's ability to achieve desired outcomes by attraction, not by coercion, payment or force. That, in the eyes of Trump's critics, is exactly the opposite of what the US president has achieved. His constantly evolving trade wars and attacks on international alliances have damaged US prestige, even impacting the number of foreign tourists coming to the country. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, sharply denounced Trump's move against Harvard. 'International students contribute to our economy, support US jobs and are among our most powerful tools of diplomacy and soft power,' she said in a statement. 'This reckless action does lasting damage to our global influence,' she added. Harvard's many prominent graduates include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. While the judge's suspension of the Harvard ban gave it some respite, Trump's moves against the school have sent shivers through American academia, and beyond. Students from Quebec, Canada tour the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., May 23, 2025. — Reuters pic Huge foreign enrolment Every year, American universities draw hundreds of thousands of foreign students, notably from Asia. International students account for one-fourth of Harvard's enrolment, a major source of revenue. In the 2023-24 academic year, more than 1.1 million foreign students were enrolled at US campuses, a record number according to the Institute of International Education. They generally pay much more in tuition than US residents. The largest numbers, in descending order, come from India, China and South Korea, with the top fields of study being maths, computer science and engineering. With the US and China locked in a fierce rivalry for global influence, Beijing was quick to react to the latest move against Harvard. 'China has consistently opposed the politicisation of educational collaboration,' the foreign ministry said in a statement Friday, adding that the US move would 'only tarnish its own image and reputation in the world.' The Trump administration, for its part, insists American universities like Harvard have become breeding grounds for leftist extremism, and it asserts that they waste enormous amounts of money in uselessly promoting diversity and inclusion. 'You've got a wonderful kid, he's done very, very well, and then you send him to Harvard, and the kid comes home and you don't even recognise them; and they're definitely primed to be a fabulous left-wing activist, but they're maybe not going to be able to get a job,' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Thursday when asked about the issue. During a congressional hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the cuts in US foreign aid. The intent is 'not to dismantle American foreign policy and it is not to withdraw us from the world,' he said, but rather to maximise aid in keeping with an 'America First' approach. Nye, the soft-power theoretician and onetime assistant US secretary of defense, died early this month. But in an email exchange with AFP in February, he offered a blunt assessment of Trump's approach. The president, he said, 'only thinks in terms of coercion and payment.' That, he added, ignores a proven source of US influence. 'Our success over the past eight decades,' Nye said, 'has also been based on attractiveness.' — AFP
ABC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
The silencing of Voice of America
The US funded international news network Voice of America started broadcasting into Germany in 1942. 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
