USAID a propaganda tool under cloak of 'independent' reporting

 AFP

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 Shouting "development and humanitarian assistance," the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has long presented itself as a force for good since its establishment in 1961. Interestingly, the Donald Trump administration's recent move to freeze foreign aid has suggested the opposite – this self-boasted "independent government agency" has turned out to be a key player in Washington's information war across the world.

 By denouncing Trump's freeze as "plunging NGOs, media outlets, and journalists doing vital work into chaotic uncertainty," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has implicitly admitted that much of the world's "journalism" is paid by America's dollars.

 Data speaks. In 2023 alone, USAID funded training and support for 6.200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets, and supported 279 media sector civil society organizations dedicated to strengthening independent media, Clayton Weimers, Executive Director of RSF USA, quoted a USAID fact sheet as saying. "More than 50 percent" of the media outlets that receive foreign grants were dependent on the U.S., according to The Washington Post.

 A slew of mainstream Western media including the New York Times and the BBC, while touting their independent, objective, and unbiased coverage, have turned out to be funded by the U.S. government. "BBC Media Action has been affected by the temporary pause in U.S. government funding, which amounts to about 8 percent of our income in 2023-24." according to a statement BBC Media Action released last week.

 Malaysia-based journalist Ian Miles Cheong, by posting screenshots of funding receipts from USAspending.gov that tracks U.S. federal spending, revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that Washington allocated $4.1 million to the New York Times in August 2024 alone.

 While boasting about their independent stance on international affairs, these media outlets are instead relying on the U.S. government for survival. Their published content is closely aligned with certain political agendas their boss picks, making it impossible to stay "unbiased" on international affairs.

 By giving money to so-called independent media outlets, USAID has been acting as the U.S. government's "white gloves," using media as a tool to mislead public opinion, incite division and confrontation, meddle in other countries' internal affairs and conduct ideological infiltration in states Washington deems as rivals – all under the pretext of promoting democracy.