On the occasion of its 82nd anniversary, the Serbian service of the Voice of America (VoA) faces restrictions that hinder its ability to deliver daily reports, analyses, interviews, multimedia, and television content aimed at Serbia and Montenegro, as well as parts of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Recently, nine journalists from the VoA language service, overseen by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), were placed on forced leave. Shortly thereafter, the termination of three seasoned contract journalists followed, posing a direct threat to their residency in the United States.

This situation is a result of an executive order by US President Donald Trump aimed at reducing federal bureaucracy across seven agencies, including USAGM, which supervises the operations of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, the Cuba Program, the Middle East Program, and the Open Technology Fund.

Previously, the work of seven correspondents from the Voice of America stationed in Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo was suspended. In total, 16 journalists from the Serbian service have been forced to cease their primary activities, as reported by N1.

In a broader context, with 49 VOA language services and over 1,300 full-time employees and contract journalists affected, access to the newsroom and equipment has been restricted. The White House has labeled these professionals as “Voices of the Radical Left,” making baseless allegations that they support terrorism, threaten national security, and are involved in corrupt activities.

According to US law and the 1976 Charter, VoA is mandated to be a dependable source of accurate, objective, and comprehensive information, representing American society and policy. One of its core missions is advocating for and fighting for media freedom globally.

This programming reaches over 360 million viewers weekly around the world, with the Serbian service alone engaging nearly 13 million people on Facebook since the start of the year.

“The Serbian service of the Voice of America excels in providing truthful and objective information to citizens in Serbia and the surrounding region, covering various topics that local media cannot address due to safety concerns,” stated Gulnoza Said from the US Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

According to CPJ, Serbia is a country of significant concern due to persistent attacks on independent journalists.

“These attacks include those from high-ranking officials such as President Aleksandar Vučić. The Serbian service of Voice of America consistently sheds light on media freedom violations and promotes the ideals of democracy and human rights,” Said added.

She further highlighted the geostrategic significance of the Serbian service in the battle against disinformation at both global and regional levels.

“The Balkans is a strategically vital area for the United States, and the Trump administration should reverse the decision to close Voice of America to prevent Kremlin propaganda from gaining further ground in Serbia,” she concluded.

The recent actions by the US administration that threaten to silence the Voice of America and other media outlets under USAGM have triggered international concern due to the benefits such actions may provide to regimes opposed to democracy, human rights, and media freedoms.

Pavol Sala, a representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for the European Union and Balkan regions, remarked that the attempt to close Voice of America is a boon for those in Serbia who disdain reliable journalism.

“This further diminishes access to independent information for Serbian citizens, who are increasingly endangered by local authorities and Russian propaganda. The professionalism of Voice of America has been a key source of credible reporting for RSF and the international community. US President Donald Trump’s decision to shut it down jeopardizes an 80-year tradition of providing factual information as an alternative to government propaganda in Nazi, communist, and other undemocratic regimes, including my own Czechoslovakia prior to 1989,” said Pavol Szalay, who noted that his organization has joined a lawsuit filed by Voice of America employees and their unions against USAGM officials Kerry Lake and Victor Morales.

“We demand an immediate halt to the dissolution of Voice of America and the reinstatement of its staff,” emphasized Salaj.

“News can be either good or bad, but our commitment is to tell you the truth,” was the core message of the first broadcast from the German-language service of the Voice of America, established in 1942 to counteract German and Japanese war propaganda during World War II.

Not long after, on March 26, 1943, the Yugoslav service—precursor to the Serbian service—was established, making it one of the longest-running language services in the entire Voice of America.

Currently, journalists from the Serbian service of Voice of America are being prevented from carrying out their professional duties due to a political decision from the current US administration, which some legal experts describe as unconstitutional and unlawful.

Their future, along with that of the Voice of America and other entities within USAGM, now hinges on legal battles within the American justice system.

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