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Termination of Staff at U.S.-Funded Arabic News Channel Al Hurra
CAIRO (AP) — Al Hurra, a U.S.-funded Arabic-language news outlet with a claimed audience of 30 million across the Middle East and North Africa, has ceased the majority of its programming and terminated most of its staff. This action has been attributed to funding cutoffs, which the outlet’s director, Jeffrey Gedmin, accuses the Trump administration and Elon Musk of implementing unlawfully and irresponsibly.
In messages sent to staff regarding their layoffs, Gedmin indicated his belief that the U.S. government’s freeze on congressionally approved funds for Al Hurra and its U.S.-funded Arabic language sister organizations is unlikely to be lifted soon.
In his remarks, Gedmin expressed frustration regarding Kari Lake, Trump’s appointee to oversee the U.S. Agency for Global Media, claiming she has rebuffed his attempts to discuss the funding cuts directly. He stated, “I’m left to conclude that she is deliberately starving us of the money we need to pay you, our dedicated and hard-working staff,” a sentiment reflected in severance letters reviewed by the Associated Press and published on the website of Al Hurra’s parent organization, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
As of yet, the White House has not responded to requests for comment regarding the situation.
Mohamed al-Sabagh, an Egyptian journalist at Al Hurra’s Dubai office, confirmed that staff members for both the website and television channel received emails notifying them of their contract terminations.
Al Hurra’s closure follows similar trends among other U.S.-government-funded news organizations, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which have also faced cuts and layoffs. These organizations attribute their financial struggles to the actions of the Trump administration and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which have allegedly withheld crucial funding.
Lake has characterized the U.S. Agency for Global Media as plagued by a “giant rot” that necessitates comprehensive reform and reconstruction.
These U.S.-backed news entities were established during the Cold War to counter disinformation and provide accurate news coverage, especially in regions where the press is restricted by authoritarian regimes.
Originating in 2003 under the George W. Bush administration, Al Hurra was created in the same year as the invasion of Iraq, which resulted in regime change. Throughout its history, Al Hurra has covered the complexities of the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the ensuing violence and political turmoil, sometimes at a great personal cost to its journalists, particularly during the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011.
Despite facing allegations of bias from various political factions within the U.S., Al Hurra has been recognized as one of the few media outlets in its region advocating for press freedom and expression.
In his communication to staff, Gedmin disclosed that a small number of employees would remain and that Al Hurra would maintain an online presence while engaging in legal battles over the funding cuts in U.S. courts. He emphasized, “It makes no sense to silence America’s voice in the Middle East.”
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