Reports of visa non-renewals at Voice of America again raise concerns over editorial independence

Recent reports that the new chief executive of Voice of America and its sister organizations is refusing to renew visas for hundreds of foreign journalists — potentially exposing them to retaliation for their reporting — has again raised concern that he may be trying to co-opt the foreign broadcasters for political ends. Voice of America and other publicly funded international broadcasters are trusted and popular news sources around the globe, precisely because they are walled off from political pressure.

These reports come on the heels of other indications that the...