Viral post once again stokes USAID row: How much money did US media receive?
A viral post on social media has reignited debate over government influence in journalism, claiming that several major news outlets including The New York Times, Politico, Reuters, and the Associated Press received millions in funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The post alleged this amounted to "
state-sponsored narrative control
," with a combined $116 million in taxpayer funds directed at legacy media organisations.
— moment_mirthful (@moment_mirthful)
According to records from USAspending.gov and statements from the media outlets involved, the reality is more nuanced. While various government agencies have engaged financially with these outlets, most of the funds were not direct grants but payments for subscriptions or contracts with affiliate services.
For instance, The New York Times clarified that federal funds it received were for subscriptions purchased by US government offices, including arrangements that provide military personnel and their families access to the paper. The Times insisted it has received no federal grants, and that subscription revenue from the government accounts for less than 0.1% of its annual income.
Similarly, Politico stated it had not received direct government funding.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around
Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List
Undo
The $32 million figure cited in the post refers to contracts for Politico Pro, a premium policy news service used by various agencies. After criticism, NASA reportedly cancelled its subscriptions to the outlet. A White House spokesperson confirmed that more than $8 million in subscriptions were cut as part of broader government efficiency efforts.
Reuters faced scrutiny over a $9 million payment from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
However, the money went to a separate subsidiary, Thomson Reuters Special Services, which provides data analysis not journalistic content. Reuters emphasised that its newsroom operates independently under strict editorial guidelines.
The Associated Press also responded, denying any funding from USAID. It acknowledged the US government has been a longstanding subscriber but insisted that no money influenced its editorial output.
The BBC's situation involves its charitable arm, BBC Media Action, which previously received around £2.6 million from USAID for journalism training abroad. The main BBC News division remains editorially separate and says it receives no USAID funding.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
31 minutes ago
- The Print
Trump says ‘deal is done', China to remove curbs on exports of critical minerals to US
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick had earlier late Tuesday evening said that the two sides had agreed to put the 'meat on the bones' on the framework agreed to last month in Geneva to eventually reduce the reciprocal tariffs imposed by Washington DC and Beijing on one another. The deal will also allow Chinese students continued access to elite American universities, following threats from the Trump administration to curb their admissions. New Delhi: US President Donald Trump Wednesday said a 'deal' with China is done and relations between the two largest economies are 'excellent'. This deal will allow for the export of critical minerals from Beijing to Washington DC following two days of intense negotiations between their respective officials in London. The bilateral tariffs imposed on imports to the US from China crossed 100 percent on goods, following Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs' first announced on 2 April. The tit-for-tat trade war had led to both governments agreeing to a framework to reduce tariffs last month. Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.11.25 08:04 AM EST — Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 11, 2025 However, China continued to impose curbs on the exports of critical minerals and technologies to the US, which led to Washington imposing its own curbs on exports of certain goods such as semiconductors to Beijing. The deal struck in London will see the withdrawal of these curbs in a 'balanced way' according to Lutnick. However, the details of the deal have yet to be made public. Minutes after his first statement, Trump in another post on the social media platform added: 'President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!' The current round of talks in London came after Trump and the President of China Xi Jinping held a call last week. 'The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns,' Xi is said to have told Trump during the call, according to the Chinese readout. The 90-minute call between the two leaders last week was the first between the two since Trump returned to the White House in January, reported The New York Times. 'The two sides reached principled agreement on implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone call on June 5 and the framework of measures to consolidate the outcomes of the economic and trade talks in Geneva, and made new progress in addressing each other's economic and trade concerns,' the Chinese readout of the talks in London said, as published by Xinhua. The US delegation consisted of Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. China was represented by Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is in charge of economic policy. The deal, if agreed to by both leaders, could see some normalisation in the export of critical minerals from China to the US, which is a key part of the manufacturing of most modern technologies. After Trump's original tariffs on China touched 145 per cent a few months ago, Beijing instituted curbs on the exports of such goods, given its strong hold on the supply of critical minerals and magnets in the global market. The US in retaliation also highlighted a potential ban of Chinese students from studying at American universities. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: Trump's flip-flop to China's aggression—What's bringing India and Australia closer
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Federal judge says Donald Trump cannot detain Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil, then does this...
A US federal judge passed a ruling on Wednesday stating that the Donald Trump administration cannot keep using US foreign policy interests as a means to justify the detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. However, he then delayed the release order, saying that the ruling will not come into effect until Friday, according to a Reuters report. Judge Michael Farbiarz was quoted saying in his order that the ruling would not immediately take effect, and that the administration has until 9:30 am Friday to respond to this latest ruling. This new ruling comes soon after another order passed last Thursday, preventing the Trump administration from arresting a Columbia University student, Yunseo Chung, 21, whom it is seeking to detain and deport to South Korea ever she participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration earlier this year. According to reports, Chung never lived in South Korea since she was 7 years of age. Meanwhile, in another development, Noor Abdalla, 28, wife of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, was interviewed by Reuters, after which she appeared for a portrait.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 hours ago
- First Post
Trump administration pressures Mexico to target politicians tied to drug cartels
In their discussions, the US officials have called for action against several politicians from Sheinbaum's own Morena party and threatened to levy further tariffs if Mexico did not take action, according to sources read more US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, and US Attorney General Pam Bondi meet with Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente at the State Department in Washington, D.C., US, on February 27, 2025. Reuters File The Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to investigate and prosecute politicians with suspected links to organized crime, and to extradite them to the United States if there are criminal charges to answer there, according to sources familiar with the matter. The requests - raised at least three times by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team in bilateral meetings and conversations with Mexican officials - seek to push President Claudia Sheinbaum's government to investigate current elected officials and launch an unprecedented crackdown on narco corruption, four people familiar with the matter said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In their discussions, the US officials have called for action against several politicians from Sheinbaum's own Morena party and threatened to levy further tariffs if Mexico did not take action, two of the sources said. The conversations have not been previously reported. President Donald Trump's administration has justified its declarations of tariffs on Mexico on the growing influence of the cartels over the government. A crackdown - potentially targeting high-ranking elected officials while they are in office - would mark a dramatic escalation of Mexico's efforts against drug corruption. But it carries political risks for Sheinbaum, as some of the allegations involve members of her own party, a member of her security cabinet told Reuters. The US first raised the request at a meeting in Washington on February 27 led by Rubio and Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente, the four people familiar with the matter said. US Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials from the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice as well as Treasury attended the meeting, the four people said. Mexico's Attorney General Alejandro Gertz and Secretary of Security Omar Garcia Harfuch were also at the meeting. The Mexican Presidency, foreign ministry, Attorney General's Office and Security Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the talks. The White House, State Department, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security also did not reply to Reuters questions. Mexico sent 29 cartel figures to the U.S. in late February - the largest such handover in years - following Trump's threats to impose across-the-board tariffs on Mexican goods. The possibility of expediting the capture and/or deportation of priority DEA and FBI targets was also discussed, two of the sources said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As part of the discussions, two of the people familiar with the matter said, U.S. officials floated the idea of appointing a U.S. fentanyl czar to liaise directly with Sheinbaum on progress to combat the deadly synthetic opioid. Washington also pressed Mexico for more thorough inspections of U.S.-bound cargo and travelers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Although Mexico's federal prosecutor's office is independent of Sheinbaum's administration under the country's constitution, Washington has long accused Mexico of protecting politicians alleged to have links to the cartels. Serving state governors and federal lawmakers are immune from prosecution for most crimes and can only be prosecuted for serious federal crimes like drug trafficking or racketeering if authorized by Mexico's Congress. Reuters could not determine if the U.S. provided Mexico with a list of politicians suspected of links to organized crime, or evidence against them. But two of the sources said five current Morena officials and one former senator were mentioned - including Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila. Avila announced on her social media accounts on May 11 that the U.S. had revoked her and her husband's tourist visas. She did not provide a reason and said canceling the visa was 'an injustice.' The State Department and U.S. embassy in Mexico City haven't commented on the case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Going after serving politicians has long been considered a red line in Mexico, five diplomatic officials said. While Mexican politicians have occasionally been arrested and prosecuted for corruption in the United States, this has only happened after they left office. In 2020, when former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested at Los Angeles Airport at the request of the DEA it sparked a diplomatic crisis and halted co-operation between the two nations on drug trafficking crimes. The US dropped the charges and Cienfuegos returned to Mexico where he has not faced prosecution.
