Gulchehra Hoja, a prominent Uyghur journalist living in exile in the United States, has been a vocal advocate for human rights and transparency regarding the ongoing crisis in China’s Xinjiang region. For her dogged reporting on these humanitarian crises, she was awarded the International Union of Investigative Journalists’ Magnitsky Human Rights Award in 2019. She just recently retired after spending more than twenty years working for RFA. She pays a huge price personally, with the gravest peril to her family, since they have already been victimized by Chinese state security.
Indeed, for journalists in the U.S., such as Hoja, these harrowing conditions have only grown more dangerous. With the current Trump administration, media outlets are experiencing a further crackdown of their resources, putting independent journalism and press freedom at great risk. While RFA has drastically cut back on its broadcasts, state-controlled Chinese media has quickly increased its presence. All of these changes beg the question of what an independent, fact-based future looks like in a media landscape further beholden to government narratives.
Hoja’s personal experiences paint a picture of the all-too-real world of reporting on dangerous issues. In September of 2017, her younger brother was kidnapped. By the beginning of 2018, authorities had arrested all 24 members of her family and placed them in the camps. Despite these threats, Hoja is adamant about not letting them silence her or put an end to her work.
The Impact of State Media Expansion
At the same time that the U.S. government has slashed funding to independent media, Chinese state-run outlets have expanded their broadcast reach exponentially. Between October 2024 and March 2025, RFA’s broadcasts tanked from 60 available frequencies to only six remaining alive. By contrast, in the first ten months of 2020, China Radio International had increased the number of broadcasts by 82. This disparity in media attention is troubling for many reasons. Dangerous, bad faith misinformation and propaganda can quickly wash away the positive narrative on these major, consequential issues.
Bay Fang, an analyst, noted, “As this process drags on, it is clear that China is wasting no time to fill a void left by America‘s retreat from the information space in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.” This expansion of Chinese media capacity directly attacks listeners and watchers RFA has been made to leave behind.
Because outlets like RFA—even if not independent—often still provide alternative perspectives, they are essential to the democratic function of media that holds power to account. Trung Doan emphasized the significance of such outlets: “Independent media like Radio Free Asia, they do their own thing, and they report on things that are not necessarily good news for the ruling authority.”
This unprecedented growth of state-run media has undercut independent journalism and other media outlets, making this one of their most important and dangerous obstacles yet. It undermines democratic aspirations around the world.
The Personal Cost of Journalism
Gulchehra Hoja’s commitment to her work has come at a profound personal cost. Her family’s plight under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by journalists who dare to report on human rights abuses. Hoja remarked, “Because of my work, my family has been living under the threat of the CCP for more than 20 years.” The emotional toll weighs heavily on her as she continues to carry the torch for the Uyghurs.
” I can’t stop being the voice of the Uyghurs,” she stated, underscoring her determination to advocate for her people and bring attention to their struggles. Her bravery serves as a reminder of the important work that all journalists do to raise awareness and create accountability.
And as the journalist Patsy Widakuswara of Voice of America (VOA) put it, “This is a dark day for press freedom.” Widakuswara noted, “A free press is the foundation of democracy. Without a free press, people cannot make informed decisions about their governments.” She went on to underline the point that the absence of independent journalism would mean no one left to hold power to account.
Today, journalists such as Hoja and Widakuswara are under extreme threat. This underscores a deeply disturbing reality: if you dare question the government’s narrative, you’ll be punished and censored.
A Call for Press Freedom
America’s current climate for journalists is unprecedented, creating a dark omen for press freedom within the United States. Cuts to organizations such as VOA are indicative of a larger plan to silence independent reporting. In March, cuts to VOA represented a shift in priorities under the Trump administration, which has sought to reduce funding to certain media outlets.
Widakuswara expressed her frustration at these developments, stating, “Here I am, my outlet — that was formed to fight Nazi propaganda and became a powerful tool in the Cold War — was under attack.” In fact, many journalists agree with her worries. They are scared that their own government is eroding their right to operate independently.
Cuts continue as state-run media grows in power and reach. Without deconstructive and critical oversight, experts contend American journalism risks being reduced to little more than an arm of state propaganda. Colleen Murrell cautioned against this trend: “This decision is going to completely skew the news that goes out on the service.”
The commitment to independent journalism has never been more important to our democracy and accountability. These journalists, like Hoja and Widakuswara, are shining examples of the resilience and commitment that today’s era of targeted, overwhelming pressure can’t kill.
Leave a Reply