Voice of America Ukrainian correspondent fired in DOGE crackdown
Ostap Yarysh, a Ukrainian correspondent at Voice of America (VoA), was dismissed on March 7, reportedly following an inspection by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE is an unofficial cost-cutting group that U.S. President Donald Trump has granted broad authority to reduce government spending and dismiss employees. DOGE’s head, U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, has previously called for the shutdown of U.S.-funded media outlets Radio Free Europe and Voice of America.
Yarysh joined the VOA’s Ukrainian service in 2019, covering Donald Trump’s impeachment, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 presidential election, and its aftermath. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he has reported on U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
“Word gets around quickly. My friends and family found out before I could even tell them,” Yarysh wrote on social media on March 7. “In short, yes—I’ve ended (my) cooperation with Voice of America. I’ll share more details later,” he added.
Head of Detector Media Nataliia Ligachova said on March 7 that Yarysh was dismissed from the Voice of America during a DOGE inspection.
On Feb. 9 Musk called for publically funded media to be “shut down.” “It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of U.S. taxpayer money,” Musk said.
The New York Times reported on Feb. 28 that the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VoA, launched an investigation into journalists who had spoken out against President Donald Trump’s policies. [Continue reading…]
As it has with other government agencies, the Trump administration is moving swiftly to assert its vision at the Voice of America. As it does so, a question hangs in the air: Is the news organization’s journalistic mission, which dates to World War II, in for some fundamental changes?
Within the past week, VOA placed veteran U.S.-based journalist Steve Herman on an extended absence to investigate his social media activities, and moved to reassign White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, who had been disciplined during the first Trump administration.
President Donald Trump’s choice to lead VOA, unsuccessful Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, joined the organization as a special adviser while awaiting the approval necessary to take over.
Voice of America beams audio and online news reports about the United States throughout the world, typically in the native languages of countries where it operates. At birth, Voice of America told stories about democracy to people in Nazi Germany.
The agency’s charter requires that its journalists deliver independent news and information, and not be a government mouthpiece. Conservatives have often chafed at that; outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the agency employees in 2021 that they often sounded like “Vice of America” and shouldn’t be afraid to extol the country’s greatness. [Continue reading…]