Alhurra, the Arabic-language satellite TV channel established by the United States government after the 2003 Iraq invasion, is shutting down following the withdrawal of funding by the Trump administration.
The channel, which began broadcasting in 2004 to counter anti-American narratives in the Arab media, will officially go off-air, with most of its staff laid off. The decision is part of a sweeping cost-cutting measure recently introduced under President Donald Trump.
The President and CEO of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), Alhurra’s parent body, Mr. Jeffrey Gedmin, confirmed the shutdown in a statement on Saturday.
“Media in the Middle East thrive on a diet of anti-Americanism. It makes no sense to kill MBN as a sensible alternative and leave the space open for America’s adversaries and Islamic extremists,” Gedmin said.
The Trump-led decision followed a broader cost-saving directive linked to billionaire Elon Musk’s influence on government spending. It also affected other US-funded media, including Voice of America, which is currently battling the decision in court despite having received approval from Congress for continued funding.
In an internal memo to Alhurra staff, Gedmin criticised Kari Lake, a vocal Trump supporter appointed to oversee US-funded foreign media, for allegedly refusing to engage with him regarding the funding crisis.
“She has deliberately starved us of the money we need to pay our hardworking staff,” he wrote. “This is a disgrace. You deserve better.”
Although Alhurra will cease its TV broadcasts, the network plans to maintain a minimal digital presence with a drastically reduced team of about two dozen employees.
Alhurra claims it reaches over 30 million viewers weekly across 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. However, the channel has struggled to compete with dominant Arab broadcasters such as Al-Jazeera (Qatar), Al-Arabiya (Saudi Arabia), and Sky News Arabia (UAE).
President Trump has had a strained relationship with the media and previously questioned the editorial independence of US-funded international broadcasters.
Unlike Voice of America, Alhurra operated on grants and was not officially part of the US government.
Meanwhile, other American-funded media outlets have started seeking alternative support. Radio Free Europe, once crucial during the Cold War, has secured promises of aid from the Czech government. Radio Free Asia has also continued operations, though at a reduced pace, providing online news to countries like China and North Korea.
