Voice of America brings back Farsi-speaking staff amid Israel-Iran conflict
CNN
Several dozen sidelined Voice of America staffers have suddenly been called back to work as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates.
Several dozen sidelined Voice of America staffers have suddenly been called back to work as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates. It is a dramatic turn of events for the American government-funded broadcasting system that was shut down by the Trump administration in March. Steve Herman, who has been VOA’s chief national correspondent since 2022, said the broadcaster specifically brought back Farsi language speakers who have been on paid administrative leave. The move suggests that the US government wants to bolster its programming into Iran. Before the cutbacks were instituted in March, VOA said that it produced four-plus hours a day of “Persian-language programming to Iran.” The VOA website said the content “confronts the disinformation and censorship efforts of the Iranian regime and enhances U.S. efforts to speak directly to the Iranian people and the global Persian-speaking diaspora.” It is unclear how much content VOA has been beaming into Iran in recent weeks. The broadcaster’s VOA Farsi channel on YouTube showed eight new videos since Israel struck inside Iran early Friday.
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