US-funded Arabic news outlet Alhurra shuts down TV broadcasts after funding freeze

Alhurra, the US-funded Arabic-language news network with a weekly audience of over 30 million across 22 countries, has ceased most television programming and laid off the majority of its staff, following a funding freeze by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

According to AP, in severance letters to staff, Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) CEO Jeffrey Gedmin blamed the “irresponsibly and unlawfully” withheld congressional appropriations, accusing Kari Lake—the Trump-appointed head of the US Agency for Global Media—of deliberately ignoring attempts to resolve the crisis.

“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. “It makes no sense to kill MBN as a sensible alternative and to open the field to American adversaries and Islamic extremists.”

Launched in 2004 under President George W. Bush to counter anti-US narratives in the region, Alhurra played a key role in covering the Iraq War, the Arab Spring, and broader Middle Eastern developments. Though frequently criticised for bias, AP notes that the outlet remained one of the few in the region offering relative editorial independence and space for free expression.

Gedmin confirmed that a small digital presence would be maintained as legal challenges play out. “It makes no sense,” he said, “to silence America’s voice in the Middle East.”

The White House has not responded to requests for comment. Alhurra now joins Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and others in facing cuts, as US-funded global media outlets fight for survival amid a sweeping cost-cutting drive.

AFP reports that in recent years, Alhurra faced stiff competition from Qatar’s Al-Jazeera as well as Al-Arabiya, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, and the UAE-backed Sky News Arabia.

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