Voice of America Journalists Face Investigations for Trump Comments
The broadcaster placed a longtime journalist on leave amid growing concerns about its editorial independence.
Journalists at Voice of America said they had faced scrutiny for some of their public comments. Jason Andrew for The New York Times
By David Enrich and Minho Kim
David Enrich, whose latest book is about the campaign to limit press freedoms, reported from New York. Minho Kim reported from Washington.
Feb. 28, 2025
Voice of America, the federally funded broadcaster to the world, has long prided itself on serving as an accurate and fair source of news and on being independent of whichever president and party are in power in the United States. ... Since the election of President Trump, that independence is increasingly being tested.
In recent months, Voice of America's parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has opened human-resources investigations into Voice of America journalists for reporting on criticism of Mr. Trump or for making comments that were perceived as critical of him, according to several employees. Some journalists raised concerns about the investigations in a meeting this week with the broadcaster's director.
At least a couple of articles that included criticism of Mr. Trump and his administration were not published or were watered down after publication in recent months, said three Voice of America employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.
And on Friday, the Agency for Global Media informed one of Voice of America's highest-profile journalists, Steven Herman, that he was being placed on an extended "excused absence" pending a human resources investigation, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by The New York Times. Mr. Herman confirmed receiving the letter, which said the investigation was into whether his "social media activity has undermined V.O.A.'s audiences' perceptions of the objectivity and/or credibility of V.O.A. and its news operations."
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