Radio Free Asia announces it is halting operations amid government shutdown, funding cuts

Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Wednesday announced that it was halting its operations and laying off some of its editorial staff who are furloughed amid the government shutdown and a cut in federal funding.

The media agency is one of several government-funded news organizations and is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). USAGM also oversees Voice of America, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Open Technology Fund and Frontline Media Fund.

The news agency said the decision marks the first time in its 30-year history that it has gone dark, which was created in 1996 to provide free and accurate news and information to Asian audiences following Tiananmen Square.

"Without consistent and reliable funding, we have been forced into a very difficult position, which is unprecedented in our history as a news organization getting reporting out of the world's toughest media environments," an RFA spokesperson told Axios. "RFA has weathered shutdowns and delays in funding before, without any interruption of services and programming."

RFA President and CEO Bay Fang said the company would begin laying off some of its overseas bureaus and furloughed employees as early as Friday, and impacted employees would be given severance checks.

"However drastic these measures may seem, they position RFA, a private corporation, for a future in which it would be possible to scale up and resume providing accurate, uncensored news for people living in some of the world's most closed places," Fang said.

"We are carefully balancing the needs of our company to continue and the safety and well-being of our journalists - most of whom have been on unpaid leave since March," he added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.