Trump just pulled the plug on American soft power – Europe must decide if it’s ready to lead.
The second Trump administration’s sweeping cuts have already done massive damageto media ecosystems in Eastern Europe. On Friday, the US president dealt another blow to free journalism and American soft power worldwide.
By executive fiat, Trump gutted US-funded media outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. The orders can (and most likely will) be tried in court, but the damage is done – and it puts brave reporters at risk.
"Radio Free Europe undoubtedly has the most extensive network of correspondents among all Western media operating in Russia," says a journalist working for the American outlet in Eastern Europe, who wishes to remain anonymous.
"The Moscow offices closed in 2022, but more than 200 journalists continue to work discreetly on the ground, often in remote regions far from Moscow or in the occupied territories of Ukraine."
"Cutting ourselves off from the information they gather would be suicidal. And what will happen to these people?"
Good question.
Because beyond the journalists risking their lives, Radio Free Europe is more than just news for people who grew up behind the Iron Curtain – it’s a symbol of the liberal values they longed and fought for. That includes the EU’s chief diplomat and Estonian national, Kaja Kallas.
"It was the radio that we got a lot of information from,” she said today.
Although the curtain may have fallen, the recent courageous reporting by independent media in the Caucasus, Russia, and beyond – now cut off from crucial aid – proves that the work isn’t over.
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