When the White House issued an executive order to dismantle pro-democracy media outlets Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, shockwaves replaced radio waves from Prague to Addis Ababa.

"For the past 40 years, VOA has been a major source of information on Ethiopia's key political and social issues. If the radio station stops broadcasting, there is bound to be a lot of negative pressure," said Endalkachew Haile Michael, a media researcher based in the United States.

The Trump administration's stance on media institutions undermines the United States "exemplary status on press freedom worldwide," he added.

For listeners like Alemayehu Geberheyewt, VOA was "a station where, beyond the daily news, a lot of educational stuff was broadcast. Since the beginning of the socialist regime in Ethiopia, VOA had been the voice of the people."

VOA began broadcasting in 1942 initially to counter Nazi propaganda before positioning itself against communism during the Cold War. Its programming reached Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, and in the post-Cold-War era, VOA became regarded as a reliable news source in countries with little press freedom.

In response to the US cuts, European broadcasters like DW and France Medias Monde have called for action to fill the void left by retreating US state-funded international broadcasting.

But for African media, the gutting of the VOA, which operated across 13 African nations, is just the latest blow to pro-democracy media.

Previously, funding cuts to the........

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