On May 15, 600 contractors for Voice of America (VOA) were informed of their termination from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
The mass terminations largely impacted contractors and non-full-time employees paid through personal service contracts who perform an array of roles, including as editors, reporters and graphic designers.
Politico
Among those fired include J-1 visa holders, who are at risk of being sent back to their home countries where they may face prosecution for their journalistic work. USAGM Branch Chief and Contracting Officer J.R. Hill notified these workers that they could contact (incorrectly spelled as “contract” in the termination letter) HRVisaHelp@usagm.gov. It is unknown if these J-1 visa holders will be protected in any significant way.
VOA Director Michael Abramowitz stated that no justification was provided for the terminations. He went on to say that he would continue to aid J-1 visa-holders at risk of prosecution by authoritarian regimes.
“Some of VOA’s most talented journalists have been PSCs — many of whom have escaped tyranny in their home countries to tell America’s story of freedom and democracy,” Abramowitz said.
Politico
