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## Puppet Masters

# WikiLeaks: USAID has been funding over 6,000 journalists worldwide across nearly 1000 platforms

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thu, 06 Feb 2025 03:00 UTC
© Unknown
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.
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.
RSF* - refers to the Resilience and Sustainability Facility - long-term financing to countries undertaking reforms. [It is a tool.]
Comment: Bucks for bias? "Tell us what you want us to say."
See Also:

- Mexico's president pushes changes to constitution to prevent excess intrusion from US government
- Kremlin comments on Trump-Zelensky dispute
- Whistleblower: How Ukraine Robbed and Killed a U.S. Citizen
- No one wants to admit THIS about Ukraine: Neil Oliver & Col Douglas Macgregor

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## Reader Comments (17)

VonCraq · 17 days ago
I'm all for bankrupting or shutting down all forms of media outlets and having just one Government sponsored Media outlet. Let's call is US-TASS of Amerika.
Baybars · 17 days ago
VonCraq Surely you jest...
VonCraq · 17 days ago
Baybars I haven't been right, ever since that neurochip.....
Baybars · 17 days ago
Paid propaganda. Canadian Liberal government has been funding compliant media in the same way for years now. How do Canadians get rid of this crap in our own back yard?
Gator · 17 days ago
Baybars A Canadian version of D.O.G.E. and it will likely find very similar layers of deep corruption as what is being uncovered in the USA. No wonder they tried to kill Trump...
MacCos · 17 days ago
Baybars So True B, I noticed it early 2000’s when my posts on CBC started getting dropped, up till then it was fairly open to comments that were anti Imperialism, once Christine moved on and that pos Harper came in, the editing and wordspeak monitors moved in.
The liberal white women, Fidelity’s vagina voters as I call them, will never ever admit to Convid mistakes, read any of these revelations, or stop trying to defend their deceivers, EVER.
Truly those deceived fight hardest for their deceivers.
Even yesterday with my overeducated Sisters and nieces they again were telling me Brandon was an honorable man, and the laptop had nothing to do with anything.
I just change the subject to grand grand nieces and nephews now.
ReRan · 17 days ago
MacCos I quit reading CBC at the beginning of the scam. They closed down comments because some people weren't thinking right . And then I basically quit all mainstream media.
Ned Ludd · 17 days ago
Baybars Here's how this racket works. Government parties pour money into community newspapers as 'advertising'. As long as that periodical sings the paritisan party line editorially. Take our moey and sing our song.
In Canada.
Baybars · 16 days ago
Ned Ludd "Oh. Canada..."
Ned Ludd · 16 days ago
Baybars We'll have colour televison,social security, racial segregation and the Birch society
You can vote for Jimmie Hoffa, you join the Klan today, you can even be a commie when we're Canada USA.
Brothers in Law
MacCos · 7 days ago
ReRan Exactly, always nice to find dopplegangers😄👍☘️🇨🇦
ReRan ·
MacCos
· 7 days ago
Dwoods44 · 17 days ago
Pressitute is the appropriate term for "independent media" in this case.
ReRan ·
Dwoods44
· 17 days ago
Gator ·
Truly mind boggling !
· 17 days ago
AutomatedMan · 16 days ago
Glad to see a legitimate independent media organization like Wikileaks wasn't affected 😅
MacCos · 7 days ago
Any independents who hung on and battled deserve the utmost respect, I would have crumbled without them, well maybe not crumbled, but I would have been impossible to live with.😂☘️🇨🇦