U.S.-Funded Arabic News Outlet Alhurra Shuts Down TV After Funding Freeze

Date: 13 April 2025 - 22:04

News ID: ۱۳۸۴۱۹

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – Alhurra, the U.S.-funded Arabic-language news network with a weekly audience of over 30 million across 22 countries, has ceased most television programming and laid off the majority of its staff, following a funding freeze by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. According to AP, in severance letters to staff, Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) CEO Jeffrey Gedmin blamed the “irresponsibly and unlawfully” withheld congressional appropriations, accusing Kari Lake – the Trump-appointed head of the US Agency for Global Media – of deliberately ignoring attempts to resolve the crisis. The White House has not responded to requests for comment. Alhurra now joins Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and others in facing cuts, as U.S.-funded global media outlets fight for survival amid a sweeping cost-cutting drive.