Funding Freeze Silences Al Hurra: Impact on US-Funded Media in the Middle East

Al Hurra, a US-funded Arabic-language media outlet, has cut most of its staff and curtailed programming due to halted funding from the Trump administration. Chief Jeffrey Gedmin blames government appointee Kari Lake for withholding funds. Al Hurra plans to maintain an online presence amid ongoing legal battles.

Al Hurra, a prominent US-funded Arabic-language broadcaster, has been forced to dramatically scale back operations, laying off most of its staff and reducing programming. The move comes as a result of funding cuts allegedly imposed by the Trump administration and overseen by government appointee Kari Lake.

Jeffrey Gedmin, the company's chief, expressed frustration over the frozen funds in a communiqué to employees, accusing Lake of deliberately undermining the agency's operations. The cut in funding has resulted in the termination of contracts for staff across the Middle East and North African regions, including journalist Mohamed al-Sabagh and his colleagues in Dubai.

Set up during the George W. Bush administration, Al Hurra was part of a broader US effort to offer objective news during the Cold War era. Despite previous accusations of bias, the outlet provided a rare platform for free speech in the region. Gedmin has vowed to maintain a limited online presence as legal disputes unfold in the US courts.

(With inputs from agencies.)