February 6, 2025
3:22 PM ET

USAID’s Media Empire

The halt in USAID funding forces a reckoning on whether so-called "independent" journalism should ever rely on Washington's wallet.

Christina Maas

Washington’s double-edged generosity has long been on display through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has spent decades handing out billions under the noble banner of “democracy promotion” and “economic growth.” On paper, it’s an altruistic juggernaut, bankrolling independent journalism, civil society, and humanitarian projects in over 100 countries. In reality? It’s a foreign policy chess piece, expertly maneuvered to expand American influence, with a heartwarming PR campaign draped over the strings.

More: USAID’s Secret War: Censorship, Digital IDs, and the Battle for Total Control

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