The U.S. government, through the United States Agency for global improvement (USAID), has transferred millions of dollars to mainstream media and run by students across Europe, but especially in east and Central Europe, reports the Brussels Signal portal, citing US government spending.
This was to consequence from Washington's commitment to support democratic values and civilian society in the region under the Assistance Programmes for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia/the economical Support Fund (AEECA/ESF PD). Thus, the US government played an crucial function in shaping media narratives and NGOs' activities in these regions.
For example, in Moldova, a country strategically located between Ukraine and Romania, the US was to finance the national media sector. Millions went to: Internews Network Moldova, Asociația Presei Independente (API), Media Alternativa Association and editors of investigative journalism emergence Moldova, which were to “play a key function in the transformation of the Moldovan media landscape”, displacing “deeply rooted influences of Russia” in the country, replacing them with “American influences of the Biden administration”.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Media Alternativa Association — the owner of TV8, the 4th tv channel in Moldova — received $1.85 million from Washington.
At the same time, respective Russian tv stations in Moldova have been suspended or cancelled since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The media financed by the US took their place.
The US-funded emergence Moldova editorial focused solely on revealing Russian influences in Moldova. She is simply a associate of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting task (OCCRP), an global investigative journalism network with close links to American agencies. It is intended to prosecute Washington's strategical objectives and is not an independent editorial board.
Internews Network Moldova, supported by the US, played a akin function in Moldova in transforming the media environment as in another east European countries, specified as Ukraine. The investigation channels of the network, Ziarul de Gardă and NewsMaker, frequently published reports linking Moldovan corruption to Russian interests.
In 2017, Internews launched the task "Media Enabling Democracy, inclusion, and Accountability in Moldova" (MEDIA-M), which was funded by the USAID and the UK government. Its aim was to make a "independent, professional press sector resistant to political and financial pressure". In fact, it served the political goals of the United States and large Britain.
The Americans besides funded programmes to support the “western identity of Moldovans”. The $20 million initiative, the Moldova opposition Initiative, was launched between 2022 and 2023, but extended until 2026 to "enhance public support for democratic, European Moldova" through the "unification of Moldovans around a shared European identity".
The Soros family, which has been moving the Moldova Foundation to advance European integration of the Republic of Moldova for almost 15 years, benefited from US taxpayers' funds of over 83 1000 dollars in 2024.
In October 2024, Moldova held presidential elections and a referendum on accession to the European Union. A tiny majority of Moldovans advocated accession to the EU. Promo-LEX, a think tank funded by the US government, was liable for monitoring the elections. In last year Promo-LEX raised 1.7 million dollars in the form of US grants.
Since 1992, the United States has invested straight over $640 million in Moldova. On the another hand, real financial commitment through grants and indirect backing mechanisms was to scope the level of respective billion dollars.
USAID measures were besides to play a key function in shaping the Ukrainian media landscape. Through Internews Network Ukraine, the USAID funded a network of social media-based information platforms in Ukraine including fresh Voice of Ukraine, VoxUkraine, Detector Media and Institute of Mass Information.
According to Wikileaks, Internews Network has global ties to the Democratic organization in the US. And Oksana Romaniuk, manager of the Mass Information Institute in Ukraine, said that about 80 percent of Ukrainian media had collaborated with USAID to any extent. The backing of independent media came from a $290 million pool for initiatives on democracy, human rights and governance.
U.S.ID's engagement in media financing intensified after the outbreak of the war with Russia in 2022. However, as of 2021 the organization provided method support to 66 local media in Ukraine, which were to fight Russian misinformation and propaganda.
U.S.ID besides benefited from media in Western countries specified as the UK, for example, the BBC public station admitted that USID contributed to 8 percent of BBC Media Action charity backing from 2023 to 2024.
"Like many global improvement organizations, BBC Media Action was affected by the temporary suspension of US government funding, which accounted for about 8 percent of our income from 2023 to 2024. We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact on our partners and the people we serve," the BBC stated in a peculiar message on the website.
Similarly, it has been revealed that the U.S. government grants are utilized by the global news service Politico, which officially belongs to Axel Springer, a media giant who publishes German writings: Bild, Bild am Sonntag, Welt, Welt am Sonntag, as well as has a tv channel Welt, Business Insider and the American Morning Brew newsletter.
In December 2024, French investigative service Mediapart revealed the scope of US control over Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting task (OCCRP). Washington not only provides half of the OCCRP budget, but besides retains veto rights with respect to the appointment of elder management and directs investigations against political regimes opposed by the United States, specified as those in Russia and Venezuela.
The OCCRP audit study of 2023 confirmed that the task received $11 million from US agencies. Washington retains its influence on the priorities of what is called investigative journalism.
The crucial backing from the U.S. various media and NGOs in Europe followed 2022. Biden's administration has launched peculiar grant programs. They were an instrument of the country's abroad policy. The Americans, for example, supported initiatives to prevent "talk of hatred" and discrimination in Albania.
In December 2022, the U.S. government reported that "USID, with the two-party support of Congress, supports fresh local initiatives in Central Europe aimed at strengthening democratic institutions, civilian society and independent media, which are pillars of resilient democratic societies. These programmes will be implemented by a coalition of partners with deep cognition of the region, experience in providing tailored support to local communities and engagement in internationally recognised best practices supporting democracy."
Grant programmes in Central Europe have so been launched, directing USID funds to entities in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to: “enhance civilian society's capacity to strengthen democratic principles and enable citizens to defend fundamental freedoms; strengthen competitiveness, financial independency and sustainable improvement of the independent media sector; make civilian society and media control skills to enhance compliance with the regulation of law, fight corruption and increase access to justice; increase civic engagement through collective action of citizens to strengthen democratic systems”. These actions have been taken in connection with initiatives "to defend democracy", building their "resistance".
The US Embassy in Poland informed about the possibilities of applying for grants (NOFOs) to support stationary programs that meet the needs of marginalised communities in Poland. The U.S. Embassy and Consulate grant programme in Poland was afraid with projects starting no earlier than 1 May 2023. The funds could be allocated to "projects to support the needs of marginalised communities in Poland, including, but not limited to: persons with disabilities, refugees, LGBTQI+ community members, Roma community members, spiritual minorities and racial minorities".
The funds could have gone to ‘[p]educational programmes, specified as public support, awareness raising, diversity and inclusive training, etc. Building the possible of NGOs supporting marginalised communities in Poland, specified as training in services, fundraising, facilitating dialogue, etc. Workshops to grow the cognition and skills of service providers or otherwise support members of marginalised communities and/or their families, specified as therapists, lawyers, educators, etc. Programmes that celebrate culture and/or rise awareness of marginalised communities".
Several twelve Polish media and non-governmental organisations benefited from American grants. Dr. Dominika Bychewska-Siniarska, who assisted Polish publishers in obtaining grants from the USA, estimates that they could be utilized by about 25-30 editors – nationwide titles and local press, e.g. publishers of "Political Critics", " Liberal Culture" or "Wszystko Tygodnik".
Grants received the Foundation Institute of Reportage, which distributed funds among local media, the MamWiedziec.pl service, which provides information about politicians, etc. The grants besides included the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the run Against Homophobia, or the "Tour de Constitution for Schools", but besides various organizations working for refugees and migrants.
Source: brusselssignal.eu / pl.usembassy.gov / banker.pl
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