The close down of Voice of America, from BBC and Vox

Article 1: ‘Trump moves to close down Voice of America’ from BBC

About the BBC

BBC is the abbreviation for the British Broadcasting Corporation. Founded on 18 October 2922 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom. They are a public organization funded by both governments and private donors. In 2024, they received a little over 5 billion British pounds, with the top donor being the ‘Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,’ a department of the British government. (Where Our Money Comes From, 2023)

The original task of the BBC was to deliver news to the British public. During World War Two, they also served as the communication channel for exile governments. Since then, BBC has grown to a workforce of more than 20,000 employees worldwide, broadcasting in 42 languages, and serves as a means for the United Kingdom to project their soft power in the world. (Evennett, 2022)

BBC’s main target audience is the public in the UK and around the world. It is estimated that over 427 million people worldwide access the BBC per week and is also the third most viewed website, only after Google and Facebook. (NUJ, 2019)

Analysis of the article

Writing style

The BBC is a publicly funded news provider. Therefore, they stick to their mandate, which is to deliver the news, not to make any commentary or opinion. The title is a perfect example. ‘Trump moves to close down Voice of America.’ (Mackintosh, 2025)

They just reported the fact and did not give any opinion. No adjective was used in the title to convey a neutral perspective.

The level of English used in the article is basic so everyone, from anywhere, can understand the content immediately. Sentences are short, words are simple, and the message is direct as well as active.

The article has both direct and indirect quotes. Since the BBC the one of the biggest news providers, they have reporters in most capital cities and certainly have at least one in Washington D.C. As a result, their source of information is either direct from their report or taken from other leading news organisations. Other sources such as CBS and The National Press Club were also used, making the article credible as there is no inaccuracy.

After reading the article, readers will be informed of the facts and not be pursued by any political view. The BBC did a perfect example of news delivery, being fair and balanced.

Online delivery style

The layout of the article is minimalistic, which makes reading comfortable. Below the title is a video of Tammy Bruce, the current spokesperson for the United States Department of State, making the announcement. Readers wishing to hear for themselves can watch directly without having to navigate to another webpage.

The names of the journalists who wrote the article are displayed right below the title. However, there is no contact information or author’s page.

Because BBC is a news organisation, they only report the news. As a result, the article only contains words written by the reporters and not much more.

Technical delivery style

The BBC’s website is light to load and easy to navigate. There is only one ad in the middle of the article, which does not reduce the reading experience. At the end, there are two tags, ‘Donald Trump’ and ‘United States,’ which the readers can click to read other related articles. Below is other related news to keep the readers engaged.

Although there is an embedded video, it does not play automatically. This does not disturb the readers. They could add more related podcasts or videos to keep the readers engaged.

The save and share buttons are displayed on the top right of the article. Although this is typical, it would be more friendly if such buttons were also displayed at the bottom, or the left-hand side, to make sharing easier.

Article 2: ‘The silencing of Voice of America’ by Vox

About Vox

Vox “dot com” is an online website. Owned by Vox Media and headquartered in Washington, D.C. Initially started as a small blog, Vox Media has grown into a billion-dollar media company with around 13 million unique visitors per month. (Vox Media — the Modern Media Company, 2023)

Their style of content is called explanatory journalism. Where they don’t just report the news, but also deeply analyse and give commentary on related issues.

Their main target audience is young readers with a liberal or left-leaning political perspective in the United States as well as around the world. (Media, 2021)

Since Vox is a private company, it relies on private funding and a business model mixed with subscription and advertising. They also receive donations from private funds such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Pulitzer Center. (How We Make Money | Vox, 2025)