Why the loss of RFA and VOA matters to Lao language news followers
For several decades, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA) have been providing unbiased and open news coverage in Lao language on news topics that media restrictive countries such as Laos don't typically provide.
For a country like Laos where Lao language news is scarce, RFA and VOA diversifies the way people get their news and broadens their perspective. The loss of these two news sources would be significant.
Within Laos, there are only a handful of local news television, radio, newspapers, and journals - all government owned - and offer a range of news coverage but in some respects could be considered limited coverage.
As a result, most Lao speakers overwhelmingly follow Thai television news shows as an alternative news source since many are well-versed in Thai language.
Timelines of recent events
Back on March 15, 2025, US Administration under President Trump through US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) terminated its grant funding to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Radio Free Europe (RFE), Radio Liberty (RL), and Voice of America (VOA), among others.
The results to these organizations were immediate and profound to the extent that they were essentially gutted. The changes forced them to reduce staff and news services worldwide. At the time, RFA reported that they had to lay off 75% of its US-based staff and suspended more than 90% of its freelance journalists.
On March 25, 2025, Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted RFE/RL’s request for a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit against USAGM over the termination of RFE/RL’s congressionally appropriated funding. Shortly before this decision, USAGM notified the Court that it would take immediate steps to disburse $7.5 million, equivalent to two weeks of operations.
Following Judge Lamberth's decision, USAGM rescinded its notice of grant termination from USAGM on March 26, 2025. Meanwhile, RFE/RL continued to fight to get its remaining funds for 2025.
On July 2, 2025, Judge Lamberth ruled ordering USAGM to immediately disburse RFE/RL’s congressionally appropriated funds for the month of June.
Later that same month, on July 18, 2025, Judge Lamberth ruled that UAGM must disburse RFE/RL's remaining congressionally appropriated funds for 2025 which equated to approximately $77 million.
As of today, all websites and associated social media accounts remain active albeit with a more limited coverage. What will happen to these organizations next year remains to be seen.
Indeed, it would be a sad day if they were forced to shutter completely.
- Laoconnection.com
No comments:
Post a Comment