The Free Speech Paradox: How Shutting Down VOA and RFE/RL Weakens Democracy in the Middle East

Why Did the U.S. Administration Cut Funding to Voice of America and Radio Free Europe?

The U.S. administration has long positioned itself as a champion of free speech, railing against censorship by social media platforms, European regulations on free speech, and what it calls the “mainstream media’s bias.”

However, in the March 2025 executive order to defund and dismantle Voice of America ...