This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS-RABAT-RSF
“The freeze on the financing of American aid sows chaos worldwide, including in journalism. The programs that have been frozen provide vital support to projects that strengthen the media, transparency and democracy. President Trump justified this decree by accusing-without evidence-a so-called ‘foreign aid industry’ of not being aligned with American interests. The tragic irony is that this measure will create a void that could play the game of propagandists and authoritarian states.
USAID’s programs support independent media in more than 30 countries, but it is difficult to assess the total extent of the media impact. Many affected organizations are hesitant to draw attention for fear of compromising long -term funding or undergoing political attacks. According to USAID data from 2023, the agency financed the training and supported 6,200 journalists, helped 707 non -state and supported media 279 civil society organizations working for the strengthening of independent media. The foreign aid budget for 2025 provided for some $ 268 million (around 261 million euros) allocated by the congress to support “independent media and the free movement of information”.
All over the world, media and organizations had to suspend some of their activities overnight. “We have articles scheduled until the end of January, but after that, if we have not found solutions, we will no longer be able to publish,” explains a Belarusian media in exile who wished to remain anonymous. In Cameroon, the freezing of funding forced Datacameroon, a media of public interest based in Douala, to break several projects, including a focus on journalists and another on the coverage of the future presidential election. An Iranian media in exile – which preferred to remain anonymous – had to suspend his collaboration with his team for three months and reduce wages to the bare minimum to try to survive. A journalist interviewed by RSF warns that the impact of this freeze on funding could silence some of the last free voices, creating a void that Iranian state propaganda inevitably filled. “To silence us is to give them more power,” she denounces.
