Online Reporter
Sunday Mail Reporter
AFTER more than 20 years of churning out anti-Government propaganda into Zimbabwean airwaves, Voice of America’s Studio 7 has ceased broadcasting.
This marks the end of an era in the United States-funded information warfare targeting Harare.
The shutdown follows a decision by the US government to defund and dismantle several of its state-sponsored international media arms, including Voice of America (VOA).
The move was part of a broader policy shift under President Donald Trump’s administration, which viewed such outlets as ideologically biased and an unnecessary burden on American taxpayers.
Launched in 2003, Studio 7 quickly gained notoriety for its blunt, anti-Zimbabwe rhetoric, broadcasting in English, Shona and Ndebele.
It served as a key tool in Washington’s regime change agenda, coinciding with the onset of Zimbabwe’s historic Land Reform Programme.
The station’s nightly broadcasts into Zimbabwe — via shortwave radio, satellite, online platforms and mobile apps — ended sometime in March.
Its last updates on social media platforms, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), were posted on March 13.
The radio service, too, was quietly terminated, bringing relief to many Zimbabweans who for years endured the station’s persistent efforts to tarnish the country’s image.
Studio 7 operated under the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), alongside other propaganda outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcast into countries considered adversaries by Washington. The countries include Iran, China, Russia, Cuba and Belarus. In Zimbabwe, Studio 7 employed more than 20 local journalists.
Political analyst and journalism expert Mr Methuseli Moyo said the closure of Studio 7 signals a significant shift in US foreign policy towards Zimbabwe.
“Studio 7 has been part of the Zimbabwe media landscape for more than two decades now,” he said.
“From the onset, it was clear the project was part of a cluster of political and civic organisations aiding the regime change agenda pushed by the US and its allies.
“Needless to say that the agenda is yet to be realised. The closure of Studio 7 is an indication of American fatigue and tactful disengagement from the agenda.
“. . . the development is a huge climb-down from the US in terms of its aggressive policy against Zimbabwe.”
In March this year, President Trump signed an executive order cutting funding to USAGM, arguing that “taxpayers should no longer be on the hook for radical propaganda”.
The Trump administration had long called for dismantling of VOA, viewing it as outmoded and politically one-sided.
Support for the closure also came from high-profile American figures, including Trump’s close ally, billionaire Mr Elon Musk, who backed calls to shut VOA and similar platforms.
Responding on X to the US President’s Special Mission Envoy, Mr Richard Grenell, who had referred to the media outlets Radio Free Europe and Voice of America as “relic of the past”, Mr Musk said: “Yes, close them. Europe is free now (not counting the stifling bureaucracy). Nobody listens to them anymore. They are just crazy radical leftists talking to themselves, while burning American taxpayer money. That’s about US$1 billion a year wasted.”
Dozens of independent contractors, including some Zimbabweans, who were laid off at the VOA headquarters in Washington were likely to be deported within the next month as a result of their job losses.
The contractors — around 60 in total — participate in the Exchange Visitor Programme, which entitles them to J-1 visas to live and work in the US as long as they are engaged in certain roles, including journalism.
The 60 visa holders are required to maintain employment as part of their ongoing participation in the J-1 programme.
Online Reporter