WikiLeaks: USAID Has Been Funding Over 6,000 Journalists Worldwide Across Nearly 1000 Platforms

Yesterday's report that the US government has been funding outlets such as Politico, the Associated Press, the BBC, and others raised more questions than it answered - though the obvious implication is that the US government has effectively been propping up regime-friendly media, which then peddles regime-friendly coverage - and spent years attacking independent outlets such as ZeroHedge, The Federalist, and many unlucky ones who have since been starved out of business.

(By the way, thank you to everyone who subscribed or bought something from our store yesterday. That goes a long way towards our mission to bring you a host of divergent opinions, and let you talk almost as much shit as you want in the comments section).

And while funding for Politico and others has come from all over the federal government - WikiLeaks, citing a RSF report, highlighted that USAID was funding over 6,200 journalists across 707 media outlets and 279 "media" NGOs, which includes 90% of the reportage out of Ukraine.

According to RSF, the Trump administration's freeze on foreign aid - roughly $268 million earmarked to fund "independent media and the free flow of information," has 'thrown journalism around the world into chaos.'

Almost immediately after the freeze went into effect, journalistic organizations around the world that receive American aid funding started reaching out to RSF expressing confusion, chaos, and uncertainty. The affected organizations include large international NGOs that support independent media like the International Fund for Public Interest Media and smaller, individual media outlets serving audiences living under repressive conditions in countries like Iran and Russia.

...

USAID programs support independent media in more than 30 countries, but it is difficult to assess the full extent of the harm done to the global media. Many organizations are hesitant to draw attention for fear of risking long-term funding or coming under political attacks. According to a USAID fact sheet which has since been taken offline, in 2023, the agency 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. The 2025 foreign aid budget included $268,376,000 allocated by Congress to support “independent media and the free flow of information.”

Note the recurring use of the term 'independent media.'

Of course, the RSF report, and another from the Columbia Journalism Review are sounding the alarm over the 'silencing of independent media' around the world.

The critical context they omit, however, is that USAID - despite the best of intentions when it was formed, has been corrupted into a deep-state slush-fund.

And so, no matter how 'independent' these USAID-funded media outlets are around the world, they're all eating fruit from the same poisonous tree.