According to a report by Press TV released earlier this month, USAID financed over 6,200 journalists across 707 media outlets and 279 "media" NGOs.
The revelation came after US President Donald Trump’s administration cut foreign funding for foreign aid through an executive order titled "Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.”
According to WikiLeaks, USAID supported media outlets in more than 30 countries.
“A since-deleted fact sheet from the agency revealed that starting as early as 2003, USAID funded training and resources for approximately 6,200 journalists, supported 707 non-state news organisations, and backed 279 civil society groups, exposing the vast extent of direct US influence in global media systems over the past two decades.
“The scale of this involvement is further reflected in the 2025 foreign aid budget, which included a $268.4 million allocation from US Congress specifically earmarked for initiatives aimed at fostering the so-called 'independent media and the free flow of information'.
“One of the most notable disclosures from the exposé platform’s report involves the US-financed nonprofit organisation Internews Network (IN), which has reportedly directed nearly $500 million into so-called 'media projects' across the globe,” read the report.
The leaked documents further indicated that Internews partnered with 4,291 media outlets, producing 4,799 hours of programming in a year and reaching an estimated 778 million people.
In addition, it is revealed that USAID allocated $472.6 million to Internews over the years. However, the organisation also receives financial support from private donors, including the AOL-Time Warner Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill Gates was central at the height of Covid-19, receiving prominent coverage for the Covid-19 awareness campaign.
The report further indicated that specific grants highlight the breadth of these initiatives. For instance, USAID provided $10.7 million to Internews to support “high-quality, responsible journalism” in Liberia and $11 million for a so-called “media enabling democracy” program in Moldova.
The US State Department also contributed $1.48 million to establish “safe, accessible, and life-saving information services” in South Sudan, according to revealed documents.
“In Jordan, USAID issued a $19.5 million grant to Internews to help “position Jordanian society to advocate for citizen-driven interests effectively.”
Additionally, 25 media organisations, including outlets like Stuff, NZME, Business Desk, Newshub, and 1News, have received financial backing through USAID and Internews.
Recently, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, American politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticised USAID for its long-standing influence on global media narratives, accusing journalists of being propagandists for the government.
He pointed out that the US government had spent about $10 billion annually funding journalism worldwide.”
In South Africa, media outlets such as the Daily Maverick have been funded directly and indirectly by foreign agencies, including the Open Society Foundation, which has received funds from USAID and other entities for many years.
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