The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has laid off hundreds of independent contractors who worked in various editorial, production and administrative roles as the Voice of America (VOA), The Desk has learned.
The mass layoffs were issued nearly two weeks after an appeals court partially reversed a lower court ruling that reinstated the positions of more than 1,000 workers and hundreds of contractors as part of a legal challenge brought against the USAGM and two of its advisors, Kari Lake and Victor Morales.
Following the reversal, officials at the USAGM made the decision on Thursday to notify hundreds of personal service contractors (PSCs) that their work was no longer needed.
The agency has not made a public statement about the matter, and an official count concerning the number of PSCs affected has not been released. A source familiar with the layoffs said more than 500 PSCs received termination notices, with positions that ranged from on-air broadcasters like field reporters and news anchors, to behind-the-scenes workers like news photographers, technicians, editors and writers.
Many of the PSCs are based in the United States, and a “large number” of them hold visas that permit them to work in the country, a second source said. Those visas are contingent upon their continued employment; with their jobs terminated at VOA, nearly all will be asked to leave the country within the next 30 days, the source affirmed.
In a note circulated to employees on Thursday, VOA Director Michael Abramowitz said he was “heartbroken to learn about today’s mass terminations of personal service contractors working for Voice of America.”
“PSCs have been a critical part of VOA’s mission, and they have made enormous contributions to VOA’s important work,” Abramowitz wrote. “Some of VOA’s most talented journalists have been PSCs — many of whom have escaped tyranny in their home countries to tell America’s story of freedom and democracy. Many have served VOA’s viewers and listeners for years and are deeply versed in the markets in which VOA broadcasts.”
Abramowitz called the firings “inexplicable, and, to my knowledge, no rationale has been provided by USAGM for this decision.”
“We will continue to make efforts to help individual PSCs, especially those who face possible return to hostile countries, in any and every way we can during this difficult time. This remains among my most important priorities, and I hope it will be a priority for USAGM as well,” he affirmed.
The layoffs come about a week after Lake, a former local TV news anchor-turned-politician, announced plans to have VOA partner with the right-of-center news outlet One America News (OAN) to support the broadcaster’s editorial operations.
The partnership will see OAN produce news packages that VOA can use to supplement its radio and TV broadcasts, as well as written content that is licensed for use on the VOA’s website and other online properties. (The VOA is not currently using materials supplied by OAN.)
On Thursday, The Desk filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records on USAGM’s partnership with OAN and its parent company, Herring Networks. It isn’t clear who is currently handling FOIA requests at USAGM; a website that explains USAGM’s FOIA process said employees assigned to handle requests are still working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic ended two years ago.
In the meantime, more than 1,000 other VOA workers remain in employment limbo. Since the appeals court ruling earlier this month, the agency has placed more than 1,000 staffers on administrative leave, and it isn’t clear when many of them will be allowed back to work.
The original layoffs two months ago were rooted in an Executive Order signed by President Donald Trump that requires USAGM and a handful of other agencies to reduce non-essential operations and fire workers accordingly.
