The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been quietly sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund thousands of ostensibly “independent” journalists, media NGOs and media outlets worldwide.
In a post on X, Wikileaks cited a USAID fact sheet which has now been taken offline that states, in 2023, the agency funded training and support for 6,200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets and supported 279 “media” non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
This included sending U.S. taxpayer money to Ukraine where 9 out of 10 media outlets rely on international aid with the majority of that funding coming from USAID.
According to a USAID article titled “Press Freedom Is Under Threat” the agency said:
Supporting independent media has been part of USAID’s democracy and governance assistance efforts since the 1980s. The U.S. government is now the largest public donor to independent media development globally. […]
— Read More: amgreatness.com
