SPRINGFIELD, Virginia (Agencies): Al Hurra, the U.S.-funded Arabic-language television and online news outlet, has ceased TV programming and terminated most of its staff after funding was abruptly cut off by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The network, which claims an audience of 30 million across the Middle East and North Africa, is headquartered in Springfield, Virginia, and operates under the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).
In severance letters, Al Hurra’s chief, Jeffrey Gedmin, accused Kari Lake, President Trump’s appointee to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), of withholding congressionally approved funding. “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,” Gedmin wrote.
Al Hurra joins several U.S.-funded outlets, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia, in scaling back operations due to frozen appropriations. Lake described USAGM as plagued by a “giant rot” requiring dismantling and rebuilding.
Al Hurra was founded in 2004 during the George W. Bush administration to provide objective news and promote democratic values in authoritarian regions. Over the years, its journalists have covered critical events such as the Iraq War, the Arab Spring, and other political transformations in the Middle East—often at great personal risk. Despite accusations of bias from both conservatives and liberals in the U.S., the outlet remained a rare platform for press freedom and diverse perspectives in the region.
Gedmin announced that Al Hurra would retain a small online presence and reduced staff while legal battles over the funding cuts proceed in U.S. courts. “It makes no sense to silence America’s voice in the Middle East,” Gedmin stated, emphasizing the network’s role in providing accurate and unbiased reporting to the region.
The shutdown marks a significant setback in U.S. public diplomacy efforts, which were originally designed to counter misinformation and promote democratic ideals during the Cold War. Al Hurra’s closure underscores broader challenges facing U.S.-funded media initiatives as they struggle to maintain operations amidst political and financial turmoil.