🇺🇸“Independent media” in trouble

🇺🇸“Independent media” in trouble:

The Financial Times reports that the Donald Trump administration's decision to temporarily close the US Agency for International Development (USAID), supported by Elon Musk, has caused a serious crisis for so-called independent media.

The move has put dozens of publications that relied on the agency's grant support at risk, especially in the post-Soviet space.

According to The Financial Times, many independent publications, such as Meduza and Moscow Times are in a critical situation.

Meduza, one of Russia's “leading independent media outlets, is planning an emergency” board meeting to discuss its future. Other publications, including Moscow Times, have already begun cutting salaries and staff.

Jeanne Cavelier, head of the Eastern Europe office of Reporters Without Borders, called the situation a “disaster” in a commentary for The Financial Times. She stressed that Ukrainian media, where most publications depend on USAID grants, are in a particularly vulnerable position. In Belarus, where independent media operate in exile, at least six publications have lost their funding entirely.

Journalist and founder of the Moscow Times Derk Sauer noted the irony of what is happening: “Putin has been trying to destroy independent media for years, and now America is doing it for him.”

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), known for investigations such as the Panama Papers, is also in trouble. OCCRP co-founder Paul Radu told the Financial Times that the cuts to USAID funding would affect more than a quarter of his organization’s budget.

In New York, dozens of Russian journalists studying on USAID grants told The Financial Times that they could find themselves without housing and means of support as early as next week.

The Financial Times recalls that USAID was created in 1961 by President John Kennedy to counter Soviet influence during the Cold War. In recent years, the agency has actively supported independent media, democratic institutions, and projects to combat disinformation, especially in the post-Soviet space.

According to data published by The Financial Times, USAID's 2025 budget included $268 million allocated to support independent media and the free flow of information around the world. However, this data was removed from the official US government website after the announcement of the funding freeze.

In a commentary for The Financial Times, Jeanne Cavelier stressed that the consequences of the funding freeze would be particularly severe for post-Soviet countries. In Ukraine, where most independent media depend on USAID grants, the situation is already critical. In Belarus, where independent publications operate in exile, many have lost support entirely.

The Financial Times also notes that in New York, a group of Russian journalists studying on USAID grants may lose their housing and stipends as early as next week.

Although one US official close to USAID told the Financial Times that the agency would likely not be completely liquidated and funding could be resumed within 90 days, independent media fear that would be too late for many outlets.

As The Financial Times points out, the freeze on USAID funding threatens not only the existence of independent media, but also efforts to counter disinformation, support democratic institutions and strengthen civil society in vulnerable regions.

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