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As Voice of America Goes Dark, Some Broadcasts Are Replaced by Music

The New York Times · David Enrich · last updated

For more than 80 years, Voice of America transmitted the news into countries, many of them authoritarian, where reliable sources of information about the outside world were often hard to come by.Now those broadcasts — long viewed as an important part of U.S. efforts to promote democracy and transparency overseas — are flickering out.

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News organizations are scrambling to find a coverage approach that adequately informs the American public about the country’s slide from democracy to authoritarian rule.

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Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest

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The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.

The White House vs. the press  |  Voiceless America 


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More than 80 years after its creation during World War II, President Trump is attempting to shut down the Voice of America, but his executive order is facing a skeptical response from the courts.

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