News - Middle East: Earlier this month, in a stunning disclosure, WikiLeaks revealed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has bankrolled hundreds of media organizations worldwide over the years, sparking concerns about free and independent media.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on February 6, the renowned whistle-blowing website said USAID had financed over 6,200 journalists across 707 media outlets as well as 279 "media" NGOs. 

This explosive revelation immediately ignited debates about whether such financial ties could compromise the integrity of journalism and the credibility of the news outlets receiving the funds.

The disclosure came days after the US administration’s announcement in late January regarding the freezing of foreign aid through an executive order titled "Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid." 

The order, which imposed a 90-day pause on all US foreign development assistance programs, was designed to allow Donald Trump’s administration to reassess the effectiveness and alignment of these initiatives with the “America First” agenda that has been widely talked about.

During a speech in Las Vegas on January 25, 2025, Trump defended the decision, describing it as a necessary step to redirect resources toward domestic priorities.

The executive order, which claimed that some foreign aid programs were “not aligned with American interests” and, in some cases, “antithetical to American values,” has now been cast in a new light following WikiLeaks’ early February revelations.

Media analysts argued that the USAID funding could easily serve as a tool for media manipulation in news organizations that have been recipients of US funds over the years or decades.

According to WikiLeaks, USAID has provided support to 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 organizations, 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 organization Internews Network (IN), which has reportedly directed nearly $500 million into so-called "media projects" across the globe.

This has given rise to important questions: To what extent is media independence truly possible when financial lifelines are tied to foreign governments with their own nefarious agendas?

Leaked documents further indicated that Internews partnered with 4,291 media outlets, producing 4,799 hours of programming in a single year and reaching an estimated 778 million people.

While Internews claims that its mission is to bolster "independent journalism" and expand "access to information," the vast scope of its operations has raised legitimate questions about the potential for undue or even manipulative influence over media narratives.  

USAID has allocated $472.6 million to Internews over the years, though the organization also receives financial support from private donors, including the AOL-Time Warner Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others.

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 effectively advocate for citizen-driven interests.”

Internews was founded during the Cold War with the stated goal of fostering open dialogue between the US and the Soviet Union, aiming to reduce tensions between East and West.

However, critics argue that under the influence of USAID and Western elites, the organization turned into a tool for promoting NATO expansion, contributing to the resurgence of Cold War-era rivalries.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, American politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized USAID for its long-standing influence on global media narratives. The interview went viral on social media following the WikiLeak's expose of USAID funding media operations.

“Journalists have become propagandists for the government...A significant part of this dynamic is the influence of intelligence agencies on the press. Today, they are the largest funder of journalism worldwide, primarily through USAID.”

Kennedy pointed to the scale of this funding, noting, “They spend about $10 billion a year funding journalism around the world.”

He also referenced a 2012 executive order by the then US President Barak Obama.

"President Obama issued an executive order that allowed the CIA to begin, propagandizing Americans again...We started seeing then the press becomes an overt kind of propaganda vessel for the CIA.”

Prior to Kennedy, CIA whistleblower John Stockwell highlighted the CIA’s use of media as a tool. In his accounts, Stockwell detailed how the agency leverages “collected intelligence” for various purposes, some more controversial than others.

“There are other functions... One is to run secret wars… Another thing is to disseminate propaganda to influence people's minds, and this is a major function of the CIA. And, unfortunately, of course, it overlaps into the gathering of information,” Stockwell said.

He further exposed the agency’s tactics for manipulating journalists, describing a calculated process where reporters are initially fed stories to gain their trust, and later supplied with false information.

He also offered a specific example of how the CIA leverages the press, drawing from his experience managing the Angola conflict.

“Well, for example, in my war, the Angola war that I helped to manage, one third of my staff was propaganda. Ironically, it's called covert action inside the CIA… that means the violent part. I had propagandists all over the world, principally in London, Kinshasa, and Zambia," he explained.

These revelations, combined with evidence of the US government’s extensive funding of media outlets worldwide to promote "politically motivated stories," have fueled widespread debate among analysts.   

They argue that media organizations receiving such funds are advancing narratives favorable to US.

Press TV