Across 13 radio stations operating in Afghanistan, an average of 72% of their budgets were lost in the termination of USAID programs. This has led to 65% of their staff facing job loss or salary reductions, and nine stations at risk of closure.

Date: 6/25

Region: Europe & Central Asia

Country: Afghanistan

Topic: Governance & Rights

Policy Lens: Democracy & Governance

Entry Type: Operational Impact

Additional Context: This information comes from the Internews report, "Crisis in Journalism: The Impact of the US Government Funding Cuts on Global Media" published in June 2025. The research was led by Internews Europe in close collaboration with three consortia of media development organisations brought together under the European Commission’s Thematic Framework Partnership Agreement for Human Rights and Democracy. The researchers gathered information through direct interviews and surveys with frontline media partners.

Internews notes that these findings only relate to the 13 radio stations that were able to respond to their assessment team's inquiries. Their expectation is that the effects of U.S. funding cuts to the Afghan media environment may be much broader in scope.

Source: Internews