Steve Herman, one of the most-recognizable journalists at the U.S. government-backed external broadcaster Voice of America (VOA), has retired from the outlet and will be joining the University of Mississippi.
Herman will join the school’s Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation as its first executive director, a spokesperson said in a press release on Friday. The center will be housed within the University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism and New Media. Herman starts in his new role on July 7.
For nearly two decades, Herman worked at VOA, serving as its Chief National Correspondent based in Washington, D.C. for the past three years. He also worked as VOA’s White House Bureau Chief from 2017 to 2021.
Herman said he was joining the University of Mississippi at a time when accurate and timely information was core to shaping the country’s foundation of democracy.
“That requires an all-hands-on-deck approach,” Herman said. “Not all these challenges that we face with journalism and the First Amendment at the core can be solved only by journalists. We need a lot of help.”
He is also leaving VOA at a time when the broadcaster’s fate is far from certain. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that required VOA’s parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), to reduce its operations. The end result was the mass layoff of more than 1,000 workers and the firing of over 500 public service contractors.
VOA employees have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, the USAGM and two senior advisors hoping to reverse the layoffs and job losses. Those cases remain pending, but an appellate court decision released this week allowed the layoffs to remain in place for now.
