Carolina Valladares Perez, a prominent correspondent for Voice of America (VOA), lamented being silenced not by oppressive regimes, but by the U.S. government itself, under Donald Trump's executive order that threatens the operations of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Despite past experiences reporting under pressure in autocratic states, she now finds VOA journalists cut off from their newsroom. With 3,500 global affiliates relying on their programming, the shutdown threatens to leave a void that could be filled by adversarial media, particularly in countries with restricted press freedoms.
Valladares Perez stated, "Nicolas Maduro did not close our bureau, Donald Trump closed it. I find this astonishing." This highlights her disbelief at the situation.
Patsy Widakuswara emphasized, "We have 3,500 affiliates around the world; the void is going to be filled by our adversaries. It already is," underscoring the impact of the shutdown.
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