Trump's Plan to Give Right-Wing Propagandists a Global Megaphone

One of President Donald Trump’s top advisers, Kari Lake, just proposed handing far-right propaganda outfit One America News the keys to the newsroom at Voice of America (VOA), a U.S.-funded global news service. As many in the media knuckle down under a repressive Trump regime, this development is another bad sign for democracy and a free press — both at home and abroad.

One America News is a loud and loyal megaphone for everything and anything Donald Trump — including amplifying his “Big Lie” about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. During general elections, One America News’ founder, Robert Herring Sr., has banned stories about polls that didn’t show Trump in the lead, according to reporting by The Washington Post. It routinely amplifies Trump’s conspiracy theories and doesn’t expend the slightest effort to fact check the president.

Allowing One America News to air its pro-Trump propaganda to VOA’s global audience of more than 360 million people will spread this administration’s authoritarian message worldwide.

Trump’s pattern of First Amendment abuse

This dangerous threat fits neatly into a larger pattern: Since Trump’s inauguration, his administration has abused its authority to bully any news organization that holds the president accountable or questions his far-right agenda. It’s all part of a First-Amendment-defying scheme to transform independent media into White House mouthpieces. 

Trump’s ultimatum for the press: Bend a knee before me, or face the consequences. We’re seeing it with the censorship and shakedowns of Trump FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, with Trump’s efforts to zero out all public funding for NPR and PBS, and with billionaire media owners like Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong who are all too quick to kiss the ring.

In this most-recent episode, the Trump administration is trying to fire experienced VOA staff, including many journalists, as part of its purge of federal workers from government payrolls — though these moves are being challenged in court. 

Many of these actions are blatantly illegal, and likely violations of our First Amendment right to a free press. The VOA charter states clearly that the agency must “serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news” by being “accurate, objective, and comprehensive.” The global outlet has operated with the understanding that its reporting is independent of any strong-arm political pressures from the White House. 

“Providing One America News Network to our global audiences makes a mockery of the agency’s history of independent non-partisan journalism,” a former employer of the agency that oversees VOA told NPR.

The graft behind it all

Surrendering the VOA to right-wing conspiracy theorists wouldn’t just turn a global news source into a cruel joke. It’s also an example of the sort of graft that typifies the Trump White House. Gifting a global audience of hundreds of millions to a loyal propagandist will make One America News more appealing to advertisers — showing how enabling authoritarianism can be profitable for the few in Trump’s America. 

Now that Trump wants to hand One America News the biggest megaphone possible, we need to ask: Are these really the people you want speaking as the voice of America?

The media system Trump and his sycophants envision is decidedly not the one we deserve. Journalists must have the freedom to report news that can inform the public, hold power to account and shine a light on corruption. People have a right to reliable and objective information that allows them to participate fully in democracy.

Independent media is one of the most essential ways we protect democracy from tyranny. With Trump and his cronies constantly on the offensive against the Fourth Estate, it’s time for a broad-based popular movement to demand and defend our right to a free press.

Help Free Press keep fighting to protect the First Amendment: Donate today.