Alerts Sign-up
Journalists dismissed by the Trump administration's reduction of the Voice of America (VOA) broadcaster "will not be silenced," according to Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia. The archbishop expressed his dismay, stating, "We are ashamed that America is silencing its own voice."
Archbishop Gudziak made these remarks in a March 16 statement on his Facebook page following the administration's decision to place nearly all 1,300 VOA staffers on leave. This action is part of a broader initiative to cut funding and operations for federally run pro-democracy media outlets.
Two journalists from VOA’s Ukrainian service, Ostap Yarysh and Oleksii Kovalenko, who graduated from Ukrainian Catholic University’s journalism school, were among those affected. They received their termination letters during a vespers service at the university's newly opened St. Gabriel Institute in Washington.
Those present at the institute "embraced our brothers and prayed for all journalists who witness to the truth," said Archbishop Gudziak.
The cuts specifically targeted the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA along with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. The White House justified this move by stating it would "ensure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda."
Voice of America was launched in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda and has since expanded to offer services in nearly 50 languages. It reached a weekly global audience exceeding 354 million people with its news and cultural programming.
Archbishop Gudziak highlighted that "for decades repressed peoples could count on the VOA to provide accurate information about American and world affairs." He also mentioned that several journalists associated with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have faced imprisonment, including Vladyslav Yesypenko in Russia, Farid Mehralizada in Azerbaijan, and Ihar Losik in Belarus.
He noted that some international journalists working for VOA now face visa issues due to voided contracts, leaving them with limited time to remain in the United States. These include journalists from countries like China and Pakistan who face charges from their regimes for collaborating with VOA.
"What the Soviet Union could not achieve...has been accomplished by the American presidential administration: the silencing of America’s 83-year-old service," said Archbishop Gudziak. He thanked those who have worked at VOA over its history for bringing truth and hope to persecuted populations.
"Such setbacks will not be permanent," he added, urging people not to lose faith and drawing inspiration from Ukrainians fighting for freedom and justice.
Gina Christian reports for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
