The effects of shuttering Radio Free Asia one year later with Gulchehra Hoja

The effects of shuttering Radio Free Asia one year later with Gulchehra Hoja

Author: Amanda Stephens, Hanna Bilinski,Rti July 13, 2026 Duration: 0:00
This week, we'll be discussing China’s newly implemented Ethnic Unity Law, and what that may mean for both members of China's ethnic minorities currently living in China, those living abroad in exile, and journalists covering China and its human rights abuses abroad. We'll also be taking a look at the effects of the Trump administration's defunding and essentially shuttering of Voice of America and Radio Free Asia over a year after its drastic cuts to international programs. Joining us on the program is an expert in all of those areas, Gulchehra Hoja. She shares with us her experience growing up in East Turkestan, or as China calls it "Xinjiang Province," how she went from a host working for CHinese state media to a reporter for Radio Free Asia, the kind of work that she was able to do in that position, and the devastating and tragic effects the current Trump administration cuts have had. She also gives us her take on the chilling effect China's new legislation is likely to have at home and abroad. Read along with us: China's new law: 1. China's new 'ethnic unity' law raises legal risk concerns in Taiwan (Wen Kuei-hsiang, Sophia Yeh, Chen Kai-yu and Sunny Lai , Focus Taiwan), 2. Is China’s new ethnic unity law a step towards forced assimilation? (Einar Tangen, Zumretay Arkin, William Yang, and Mohammed Jamjoom, Al Jazeera’s “Inside Story” podcast) Hoja's past reporting: 1. Internment Camps in Xinjiang’s Aksu Separated by Crematorium Targeting Uyghur Families, Women & Children , 2. Uyghur refugees face deportation from Kazakhstan, 3. For Uyghur family, a legacy of rootlessness, 4. “Ethnic integration policy” and Uyghur assimilation Forced Labor Investigations Hoja's book: A Stone is Most Precious Where It Belongs: A Memoir of Uyghur Exile, Hope, and Survival (Gulchehra Hoja)

Every week, writers Hanna Bilinski and Amanda Stephens find themselves stuck in the same cycle: falling down a rabbit hole of alarming headlines and relentless updates. The Doomscroll News Report is their attempt to climb back out and make sense of it all. Instead of just recapping the major international stories that flooded their feeds, they pause to place each event within a broader context, asking what it really means for the global conversation. This isn't a straight news broadcast; it's a dialogue between two curious observers who bring on knowledgeable guests to deepen the discussion. By weaving together expert insight with their own perspectives as individuals striving to stay informed, they create a space for understanding that goes beyond the reactive nature of the daily news cycle. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a necessary conversation that seeks clarity and connection amidst the noise, offering a thoughtful alternative to the endless scroll.
Author: Language: en_us Episodes: 50

The Doomscroll News Report
Podcast Episodes
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