The recent budget cut to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which funds the Voice of America (VOA), has shed light on its role as a political tool for ideological warfare, as experts noted people's dawning recognition of such propaganda machines aimed at undermining political and social orders of other countries.
Trump's executive order, issued last Friday, designated USAGM as part of "unnecessary" federal bureaucracy. The agency, which oversees VOA, employs around 3,500 staff members and had a budget of 886 million U.S. dollars for 2024, according to its latest report to Congress.
Founded in 1942, VOA has long served as a propaganda tool for the U.S. government, advancing ideological objectives. Funding for VOA and similar institutions has continued uninterrupted for over 80 years, regardless of which political party holds power.
Experts argue that VOA is not a genuine media organization. Many of its programs are not broadcast within the United States, but instead target specific countries abroad, functioning primarily as a propaganda outlet designed to influence foreign audiences.
"While it may appear to be a so-called media organization, in reality, its actions have never constituted true journalism. Therefore, terms like openness, transparency, or credibility cannot be used to assess VOA. From its inception, it has been a political tool for the United States to implement its foreign strategies and policies, essentially functioning as a strategic instrument," said Diao Daming, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Renmin University.
Alongside VOA, "Radio Free Asia" and "Radio Free Europe" also serve U.S. ideological needs, often targeting and attacking other countries. Many nations have recognized the damage caused by these outlets, regarding them as "unwelcome organizations".
"These so-called institutions have been recognized for causing significant disruptions to political, social, and even economic orders in other countries, often leading to events like 'color revolutions' and similar upheavals. As a result, most countries have adopted a clear stance of resistance, fully understanding the true nature of these so-called 'media' as tools of hegemonic influence," Diao added.
Coincidentally, last week, the Canberra-based Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank critical of China, announced halting its China-related research projects after the U.S. government froze its foreign funding.
Whether forced to shut down or exposed for their practices, these events highlight the vulnerability of these propaganda networks. Without funding, their operations struggle to continue. However, experts suggest that the United States is unlikely to halt its ideological campaigns and may rebrand these entities in new forms.
"I believe these institutions and individuals will likely use this opportunity to transform, employing more covert and subtle methods to carry out propaganda abroad, rather than simply halting or cutting off funding," said Yang Yujun, dean of the Academy of Media and Public Affairs at Communication University of China.
US budget cuts unveil Voice of America's role in ideological warfare: experts
The Israeli army conducted another wave of intense airstrikes on early Wednesday morning across multiple locations in the northern, eastern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and Khan Younis, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.
The Wednesday airstrikes came after Israel's attacks on the region one day before.
Casualties from Wednesday's attacks are still unclear.
A day earlier, Gaza-based health authorities said the airstrikes on Tuesday killed at least 413. The airstrikes occurred early Tuesday amid indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding the next steps of a truce, which could include ending the war and releasing the remaining Israeli hostages. The strikes broke nearly two months of ceasefire and raised fears of fully reigniting the 17-month war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security service announced in a joint statement Tuesday afternoon that the Israeli security forces continue to attack what they call "terrorist targets" of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement throughout the Gaza Strip.
Among the targets attacked in recent hours were "terrorist cells, launch sites, weapons and additional military infrastructure" that were used by the "terrorist organizations" to plan and carry out "terrorist acts", and posed a threat to IDF forces and the citizens of Israel, according to the statement.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, however, the Israeli strikes targeted densely populated residential areas across the south, north and center of the Strip, as well as camps for displaced persons.
At least five senior officials and their families were among the dead, according to security sources in the Hamas government.
The officials killed in the renewed Israeli bombardment include Issam al-Daalis, a member of Hamas's political bureau and head of the Government Follow-up Committee in Gaza; Ahmed Omar al-Hatta, deputy minister of Hamas's justice ministry; Mahmoud Abu Watfa, Hamas's deputy interior minister; Bahjat Hassan Abu Sultan, director-general of Hamas's internal security service; and Abu Obeida al-Jamasi, a political bureau member and head of the emergency committee in Gaza, the sources said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel's renewed assault on Gaza is not "a one-day operation," adding that the initial decision to launch the attacks was made "several days ago."
Oren Marmorsteinm, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in an official statement Tuesday morning that the attacks aimed to achieve the war's objectives, including "the release of all our hostages, the dismantling of Hamas's military and governmental infrastructure, and the removal of the terrorist threat from Gaza to Israel's security and its citizens."
Israel will act against Hamas with "increasing military intensity" from this point forward, according to Marmorstein.
Israel carried out the strikes after Hamas refused to release hostages held in Gaza and rejected a truce deal proposed by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, said Marmorstein.
In a press statement, Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of deliberately violating the ceasefire agreement and escalating the conflict.
"Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire and expose prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate," Hamas said.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will escalate its renewed assault on the Gaza Strip and that "from now on, the negotiations (on Gaza ceasefire) will take place only under fire."
Israel has returned to fighting with full force, Netanyahu said in a televised address, adding that Israel will act against Hamas with increasing intensity from now on.
Israel will continue fighting to achieve all the war's objectives -- freeing all our hostages, eliminating Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, he said.
Netanyahu claimed that the overnight surprise attack was launched because Hamas rejected Israeli and U.S. proposals to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal that ended on March 1. The proposals demanded prolonging the first phase and Hamas freeing additional hostages.
After Tuesday's deadly attacks, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, prompting Palestinians to flee in chaos.
Israel carries out new airstrikes on Gaza early Wednesday
