US President Donald Trump has signed an order to strip funding for the federally financed news organization - Voice of America, accusing it of being "anti-Trump" and "radical".
A White House statement said the order would "ensure taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda", and included quotes from politicians and right-wing media railing against the "leftist", "partisan" VOA.
VOA, still primarily a radio service, was set up during World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda. It is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world.
Mike Abramowitz, the VOA's director, said he and virtually his entire staff of 1,300 people had been put on paid leave.
Abramowitz said that the order left VOA unable to carry out its "vital mission... especially critical today, when America's adversaries, like Iran, China, and Russia, are sinking billions of dollars into creating false narratives to discredit the United States".
The President's order targets VOA's parent company US Agency for Global Media, or USAGM, which also funds non-profit entities such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, which were originally set up to counter communism.
In light of the funding changes, managers have been direct to "reduce performance… to the minimum presence and function required by law".
CBS News says VOA employees were notified in an email by Crystal Thomas, the USAGM human resources director.
A source told CBS that all freelance workers and international contractors were told there was now no money to pay them.
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