This page hosts daily news stories about the media, social media, and the journalism industry. Get the latest Hirings and Firings, Media Transactions, Controversies, and more.
Voice of America Faces Near Shutdown Amid Mass Layoffs
The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), parent agency of Voice of America (VOA), has issued termination notices to over 639 additional employees, finalizing an 85% workforce reduction since March 2025. The decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s initiative to downsize the agency to its statutory minimum. Kari Lake, senior advisor to USAGM, called the move necessary to dismantle a “bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.” The cuts leave 250 total employees across USAGM, VOA, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, the latter of which saw no layoffs. The drastic reductions, following earlier contractor dismissals, effectively signal the end for VOA — a network founded during World War II that broadcast in nearly 50 languages and reached 360 million weekly. Legal challenges to the USAGM cuts are ongoing. (Read More) (Yahoo News Rating)
Fact-Checking Sees Slight Decline in 2025 Amid Meta Pullback
Global fact-checking efforts are holding steady despite setbacks, including Meta’s decision to end its U.S. fact-checking program in early 2025. According to Duke Reporters’ Lab, the number of active fact-checking projects declined slightly from 451 in 2024 to 443 this year. Although the U.S. saw losses — with Tegna ending its VERIFY initiative and The Daily Caller halting “Check Your Fact” — some outlets, like The Dispatch, have vowed to continue. Meta’s withdrawal has raised funding concerns, especially since nearly one-third of global fact-checkers depended on it. Nonetheless, fact-checking remains active in 116 countries and over 70 languages, with new U.S.-based outlets joining the Gigafact network. (Read More) (Poynter Rating)
AI Chatbots and Streaming Services Under Scrutiny for Carbon Emissions
New research from Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences reveals that complex AI chatbot queries significantly increase carbon emissions. Models with advanced reasoning capabilities can emit 50 times more CO2 than simpler ones, with large-scale operations like DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 2.5 equating their output to transatlantic flights. Additionally, Spotify’s environmental impact is rising sharply. Carbon accounting firm Greenly estimates the platform will emit 187,040 tonnes of CO2e in 2025 — a 67% increase since 2021, partly driven by increased user numbers and the rollout of video content. The findings highlight the hidden ecological costs of digital media and AI. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)
Do you appreciate our work? Please consider one of the following ways to sustain us.
or
Follow Media Bias Fact Check:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mediabiasfactcheck.bsky.social
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Media_Bias_Fact_Check/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mediabiasfactcheck
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBFC_News
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mediabiasfactcheck
Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@mediabiasfactcheck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mediabiasfactcheck/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mbfcnews/
