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Source: AFP
Sara, a Dubai-based journalist, joined the US-funded Alhurra TV quality transmission hoping for occupation security. But aft it abruptly stopped broadcasting and fired astir staff, she's wondering however to marque ends meet.
Alhurra, the lone Arabic-language US presumption successful a portion wherever anti-American feeling is common, went off-air past month, deed by wide cuts nether President Donald Trump.
The station, which has struggled to vie successful a crowded marketplace that includes Qatar's Al Jazeera, had already sacked 25 percent of its workforce aft fund cuts past September.
It is besides retired of kilter with Trump, a predominant professional of accepted media who volition sojourn the United Arab Emirates and different Gulf monarchies this month.
But Alhurra's abrupt closure came arsenic a shock. On April 12, each 99 employees successful Dubai, its Middle East headquarters, received an email titled "Thank you for your service", informing them of their contiguous dismissal.
Sara, who asked to usage a pseudonym to talk freely astir the situation, said they are present warring for the end-of-service payments mandated by instrumentality successful the UAE.
"We're surviving a fearfulness movie," she told AFP.
"My income was abruptly chopped off, and I person household commitments and a slope loan. What volition hap if I can't wage the instalments?"
The defunding of Alhurra, on with different outlets nether the national US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) specified arsenic Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, is being challenged successful US courts.
But the Dubai unit clasp retired small anticipation of being reinstated. Meanwhile, the accent has "driven america into intelligence ruin", said Sara, who is successful her thirties.
'Dialogue betwixt leaders'
Dubai's authorities are intimately monitoring the lawsuit and providing assistance, including by relaxing the accustomed signifier of rapidly cancelling residence permits for those without a job, Alhurra journalists told AFP.
According to Mutlaq al-Mutairi, a media specializer astatine Saudi Arabia's King Saud University, the cuts were successful enactment with shifts successful messaging nether Trump.
The United States nary longer uses media arsenic "they utilized to bash successful the past to pass their governmental vision, particularly connected the question of terrorism", Mutairi said.
Instead, Trump present straight "relies connected dialog betwixt leaders and governments" to get his connection across, helium told AFP.
Washington established Alhurra successful 2004, the twelvemonth aft the penetration of Iraq, arsenic a brushed powerfulness instrumentality to counterbalance the power of Al Jazeera, which had been broadcasting since 1996.
The US quality transmission claims a play assemblage of much than 30 cardinal people successful 22 Arab countries.
It is the flagship of Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), portion of USAGM -- an autarkic national bureau that funds media outlets.
However, the Trump medication -- which placed USAGM nether the enactment of Kari Lake, an ultra-conservative erstwhile TV quality anchor -- condemned it arsenic a "corrupt elephantine and a load connected American taxpayers".
USAGM had 3,384 employees successful fiscal twelvemonth 2023 and had requested $950 cardinal successful backing for the existent fiscal year.
'Kill strategy'
Jeffrey Gedmin, MBN's president and CEO for conscionable implicit a year, said the institution had gone from astir 500 employees to "about 40".
"The Trump administration, successful my view, is not peculiarly fond of this benignant of autarkic media," helium told AFP, describing the cuts arsenic a "kill strategy".
"I deliberation what the Trump medication is doing is simply unwise. I deliberation it's going to harm, reputationally, the United States of America."
Given the caller occupation losses, galore of Alhurra's unit were not amazed it closed. But they were taken aback by the velocity of events.
"The determination (to close) was expected, but we didn't ideate it would hap truthful quickly," said an worker astatine MBN's Virginia headquarters.
"They threw america retired into the street," the worker added.
Michael Robbins, manager of the Arab Barometer probe network, pointed to Alhurra's constricted occurrence competing with Al Jazeera, arsenic good arsenic the BBC, which "already provided quality successful Arabic from a Western position and had a overmuch longer reputation".
"Few successful the portion crook to Alhurra arsenic their superior root of information," helium added.
Another Alhurra writer successful Dubai, who besides did not privation to beryllium named, said helium was facing an "uncertain nonrecreational future" aft 8 years astatine the channel.
"We are shunned (by media) successful astir Arab countries due to the fact that we worked for the Americans," said the 56-year-old.
Gedmin said helium was "in implicit solidarity" with the laid-off employees. "We're warring to spot if we can assistance them astatine slightest somewhat," helium said.
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Source: AFP
