For 75 years, U.S. international broadcasters have provided trusted news worldwide. Now, deep budget cuts under President Trump threaten their future—leaving journalists in Prague and beyond uncertain about what comes next.
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00:00Igor Shevrygin doesn't let his concerns show.
00:03He works for the Russian language service of Radio Liberty, an American international
00:08broadcaster that offers reliable information mainly to audiences in Eastern Europe and
00:13Asia.
00:14But news of the channel's potential shutdown has left Igor and his team stunned and Russian
00:19propagandists celebrating.
00:20This is a day to celebrate.
00:24Trump has suddenly announced the closure of Radio Liberty and Voice of America, which
00:27call themselves media, but are really just fountains of fake news.
00:36Russian propaganda is a bad joke.
00:38What did she call us?
00:42Fountains of fake news.
00:43It'll be fine.
00:45Just some commotion.
00:47Or we're hysterical.
00:48Could be.
00:49I just don't want to believe it's over.
00:57Igor Shevrygin has worked for Radio Liberty in the Czech capital Prague since 2017.
01:02His reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made Russia off-limits for him and his
01:07team.
01:08The station has been labeled an undesirable organization.
01:12President Trump's threat to shut it down came as a shock, but Igor does his best to stay
01:17composed.
01:18I hope to wear these shirts and jackets on air many more times.
01:27I believe our broadcasts are very important to our viewers and that Radio Liberty will
01:32absolutely continue.
01:34For me personally, there's no reason to panic.
01:37It's just a normal working day.
01:45In countries where press freedom is restricted, Radio Liberty has been a vital source of information
01:50since it was founded in 1953.
01:53Then the US-funded station broadcasts to audiences behind the Iron Curtain.
01:59Today its journalists report for listeners in authoritarian states like Iran, Afghanistan,
02:04Russia and Belarus.
02:08It's hard to imagine we'd be shut down, that these screens would go dark.
02:12We're in a very difficult situation.
02:15Our phones will soon run out.
02:19Pavel Butorin leads the current Time digital and TV network, which has become a key source
02:24of Russian-language reporting during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
02:30Despite censorship in Russia and the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the show draws several
02:35million viewers.
02:39Today we're reporting on the peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia and continuing our work on
02:44the ground in Ukraine, asking people what they think of the negotiations.
02:50Sergei, where are our reporters right now?
02:53In Pokrovsk.
02:56Many journalists work at great personal risk, including Pavel Butorin's wife, Alsu Kurmasheva.
03:03Her reporting for Radio Liberty led to months in a Russian prison.
03:07The team feared for her safety.
03:10Now the station's very existence hangs in the balance.
03:15I'm concerned about the future of my colleagues who only have passports from their home countries.
03:21They could be deported at any time.
03:25Many can't return to Russia or Belarus, for example.
03:29My own wife spent nearly ten months in prison on a trumped-up charge and was only released
03:34thanks to US government intervention.
03:38But many of her colleagues don't have that protection.
03:41I worry about what might happen to them.
03:47Like Pavel, Igor hopes the US judiciary will protect the station.
03:52The US Constitution prohibits government interference in journalistic work.
03:56The station is committed to remaining independent.
04:05If Radio Liberty were really shut down, our viewers would lose a reliable news source
04:10that, unlike Russian propaganda, offers independent information.
04:18Without a doubt, it would be a serious blow to freedom of expression.
04:27Shortly after our filming, a US court temporarily halted the closure of Radio Liberty.
04:32The legal battle continues and the broadcasters are not in the clear.
04:37Igor Sivrygin remains concerned for his job, his station, and the audience that relies
04:43on them.